


Bart And Damian's Excellent Adventure

by BlackandBlueMadness26



Series: Superhero Young Love [3]
Category: DCU (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: (who am I kidding I will make someone cry again), Angst, Back to the Future Au, Back to the Future References, Bart Being Adorable 24/7, Bart also being protective over Dickie, Birdflash is only one-sided because of the timeline, Brotp Bart and Damian, Crack, Damian being done with everyone, Damian being protective over Dickie, Diary/Journal, Dick being a sad emo teenage Robin, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Future meaning Robpulse's present, I'll stop tagging now, It's confusing I know, Kinda, Light Angst, M/M, Oh almost forgot, Robpulse brotp I guess, Sequel to my textfic, Time Travel, Unrequited Love, also, also Damian missing Jon like a whole lot, also it's a sequel, and Bart missing Jaime, and fluff, as in Bart writes a journal, big brother damian, but like, but still loving and supporting him cause he's family, especially Bart, in the future it's very real, lots of unrequited love nonsense, oh I forgot I'm bad at this, or prequel depending on how you look at it, yeah lots of crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-10-15 12:43:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 55,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17528951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackandBlueMadness26/pseuds/BlackandBlueMadness26
Summary: Bart finally has the happy life he's been waiting for. So of course, everything goes wrong and he gets sent back in time with Damian to when the original Young Justice Team was going strong!Will they be able to come back to their time without causing any damage to the space-time continuum?Well, only TIME will tell...Basically this is a dumb idea written by an even dumber author just because I love Back to the Future and Robpulse is my favorite Bromance.This is probably going to be bad, you've been warned.





	1. A Terrible Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY! GUESS WHO'S BACK?  
> So. to all of you who are reading this after reading my text fic, Hi there!!!! missed me? I certainly missed you that's for sure, and it's only been like, two weeks or something. To anyone else who's a new reader, I would like to first welcome you into this madness, and then say that I'm sorry for what you're about to witness.  
> So! Back at it again with my two favorite babies!  
> This first chapter isn't really that great, I'm sorry. I had a hard time writing it. I will probably alternate between journal entries and normal chapters. for now, I hope you enjoy!

To whoever finds this journal,

 

First of all, let me tell you you’re in for an adventure. A crazy, stupid, terrifying and fun adventure.  The kind of adventure you only find in movies. I’m only writing it down in case something tragic happens to me and I can’t tell it myself ( _Dami says I’m being over dramatic again, but he’s the one who’s been banging his head against the wall for two hours since he understood what was happening to us_ ).

Maybe I should start from the beginning. My name is Bart Allen and I’m the fastest man alive. ( _“One of the fastest men alive.” “Shut up Damian.”)._ You might know me better as Impulse, or Kid Flash, or whatever my name will be now, I’m a bit too old for Kid Flash but going back to Impulse sounds like a regression.

Anyway, I digress. As I was saying, my name is Bart Allen, and I live a pretty normal life, for a superhero that is. I have an amazing family and friends, the best boyfriend in the world, and all in all, I’m really happy right now.

Of course, I couldn’t have all of this if I hadn’t chosen to go back in time nine years ago. I decided to leave the awful, post-apocalyptic world I was born in to try and change everything for the better. And wouldn’t you know it, I succeeded! I prevented the invasion of our planet by an alien race called the Reach, and created a safer future for my family and friends.

You would think, after all of this, I might deserve a break for the rest of my life right? Wrong!

For some reason, whatever higher power is in place decided that one trip through time wasn’t enough for me, oh no! I had to go through it all over again! At least this time I’m not alone though. I have my favorite baby ninja Damian Wayne with me! Okay so, maybe I should stop calling him a baby, he’s sixteen now after all, can you believe it? I certainly can’t. Plus, everyone still calls ME a baby, so he’ll have to suffer a little bit more. ( _“you’re rambling again you know?” “It’s my journal, I do what I want, go sit in the corner and pout some more!” “I despise you.”)_

So, basically here’s the deal. Damian and I are now stranded in the past, more specifically in the year 2012, without any idea how to get back to our time. And as if it wasn’t enough trouble, we also have to deal with younger versions of all the people we know, those same people having of course no idea who we are.

How did we get ourselves in this predicament? Well, that’s a long story…

For now, let’s just say that we’re in deep trouble, and debating whether or not to go to the League for help. Damian says we shouldn’t because disruption to the space and time continuum or whatever, but how are we supposed to find a way to go back to our time without their help? This is a nightmare. And to think this day had started out so great!

Screw it! I need to go home, so we’ll go talk to Bruce at least! I don’t care what Damian says! We have to go home!

Let’s hope for the best…

 

B.A.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: What actually happened.


	2. A Strange Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the Life of Bart Allen, before everything goes wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am... so very sorry. I have disappeared for more than a months, and I don't really have an excuse tbh. I started writing the chapter right after I finished the first one, but then I had a small case of the writer's block, and then I had a relapse in my depression (sorry for oversharing ) and then when I could finally write again my inspiration was focused on something else . So... yeah. I got there in the end, but it's so different from what I had intended , and honestly I'm scared it will be a disappointment... I'll try to do better for the next one, which should be uploaded later today or tomorrow morning depending on how much energy I have left . anyway still hope you enjoy

It was a nice sunny morning, the kind of morning to make you think that nothing could ever go wrong in the world ever again. Bart was feeling particularly cheery, as he was finally done with all of his exams and could finally rest and start planning the amazing road trip Jaime, Tim, Conner and him had been wanting to do for months. But first, he was having a meeting with his college friends in their usual spot, a small retro Café next to the campus. It was like a second home to Bart, and he had basically been adopted by the owner, a middle aged woman named Doris.

He got into the café and Doris greeted him by pinching his cheek as usual, before mentioning to him that his friends had already arrived. He saw them sitting at a table in the back, their usual spot, so he thanked Doris and went to them.

“Finally Allen!” Nate exclaimed as soon as he saw him “we were starting to think you’d never show!”

Nate Calver was the first friend Bart had ever made outside of the Superhero circle, and they’d become as close as brothers during their college years. He’d recently came clean about his being a superhero to him, bringing them even closer.

“Stop being dramatic Calver, I’m not even five minutes late! Something came up on my way here and I got delayed, but I’m here now!” Bart finished while taking a sit next to the only girl of the group, Nate’s best friend Amy who smiled at him and gave him a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows, Bart’s usual order.

“Oh my God, I love you so much Ames, why aren’t we married yet?”

The girl giggled while slapping his arm.

“Probably because you’re in a loving and committed relationship with your actual soulmate and not even my awesomeness can compete with that? Story of my life honestly, all of you guys have at one point or another expressed interest in marrying me but you’re all head over heels for other boys, I’m not sure how to take that. “

“It’s okay Ames, you’ll find your prince charming one day!” reassured Simon, the last member of their usual group, and Nate’s boyfriend.

“Princes charming are overrated, I’d settle for a nice regular guy. Or, alternatively, Nightwing. Yeah, if I wanted to raise my expectations, that’s who I’d go for. “

Bart nearly strangled himself with his drink while Nate snickered under his breath. He still couldn’t get used to hear his normal friends gush over his family and team members. It always made him a tad bit uncomfortable, which Nate never failed to take advantage of, just like right now:

“I don’t know, Nightwing doesn’t seem to be the best fitted for you in my opinion?”

“Are you kidding? He’s basically perfection incarnated! He’s got everything I love about Batman, except with less brooding and more charm and humor! If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m pretty sure something’s going on between him and that one Flash, the younger one, not the one in the Justice League, I would have totally gotten on that train!”

“Eh, if you ask me, you’re more of a Superboy kind of girl.”

Bart didn’t know whether to laugh or feel bad for Kon when he saw the scandalized look on Amy’s face.

“Excuse me? I’m a Gotham Girl through and through, thank you very much! No Supers for me.”

“Come on, they’re not that bad!” Bart tried to advocate.

“ Oh I’m sure they’re great, but my mind is made up. What about you Bart? Which one would you choose? We all know Nate has a crush on Kid Flash, and Si’s a Green Lantern fanboy, but you never said.”

“Nate does NOT have a crush on m… Kid Flash!” Bart screamed, horrified

“eh, I kinda do though” his traitor friend answered with a huge evil smile.

“Not even gonna  go there , you’ve got serious issues dude. As for my answer, well… I’m kinda partial to Red Robin, but my one and only answer will always be Blue Beetle. “  He said with a tender smile on his face, the one he only got when Jaime was involved.

“Interesting choice! I’ll admit I hadn’t thought about it but yeah, it fits!”

“It really does” Bart answered dreamily before taking another sip.

They stayed together for a total of two hours, talking animatedly about various subjects. They never seemed to run out of topics when they got together, which was a great thing for a speedster. He tended to get bored really quickly, and he was lucky to have found people who could keep up with his fast mind. When they got out of the coffee with plans to go hangout at Nate’s place to watch amovie, Bart suddenly got a text. He smiled when he saw who it was from, before frowning while reading the content.

“Something wrong Bartie?” Amy asked worried.

“oh yeah, don’t worry, it’s just my uncle who needs me for something.”

“Your uncle? Do you mean the one who’s also your brother and kind of your father figure, or the one who’s six years younger than you?” Simon asked, still trying to wrap his head around Bart’s confusing family ties.

“Second one” Bart answered “apparently Dami needs me for… something. So I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to abandon you guys… he’d never call me if It wasn’t important…”

“It’s alright Bart” Nate was the first to give him a reassuring smile “Do what you gotta do, and stay safe alright?”

“Pinky promise! I’ll see you guys after the road trip, so in a month or so then!”

They all said their goodbyes back, each of them giving Bart a quick hug, and then they went on two separate paths. Bart waited until he was out of sight to speed to the location Damian had given him, not forgetting to put his suit on while on the way.

 

He found him in full Robin gear in front of what seemed like a burnt down mansion. The fire didn’t seem to be recent though, so he was a bit at loss as to why they were here.

“Hey Dami, what are we looking at?”

“Code names KF! “

“Right, sorry Robin. Why’d you call?”

“Well, this morning I got a distress call on one of my emergency lines, which made no sense because I didn’t recognize the caller’s voice, and also they didn’t seem in distress at all. They just told me to come to this address at that specific time, and so I did.”

Bart looked at him as if he’d grown a second head.

“Have you completely lost your mind?! You can’t answer ominous calls like that without backup! It could have been a trap!”

“I’m well aware, but I had to, you don’t understand.”

“No I really don’t! Explain it to me please!”

“The caller, they said very specific things. About all of us. Things only people from our family would know. “

“… Right. And you decided that the best course of action was coming here alone to find out more about this possibly dangerous stalker?”

“You’re overreacting. Nothing happened to me now did it? Besides, I couldn’t let it go. Not after they talked about Jon.”

Bart gasped. It all made sense now.

“What did they say? Did they threaten him? Is he in danger? Do we need to hide him?”

“Don’t worry, he’s with his father right now. And it wasn’t really a threat, just… a name drop I guess? But I didn’t want to leave any chance of him being in danger, so I came anyway. Seems like it was all for nothing, no one’s even here right now.”

“Right. So why did you call me anyway?”

“While I didn’t find any living presence, I did find something odd. It’s in the basement. I need you to take a look at it.”

“Fine, lead the way.”

Damian did as told, and they got to the basement, where it was clear why Damian had called Bart in. there was a huge, cosmic-looking breach in the middle of the room, and it was radiating a lot of energy. Bart didn’t need more than a few seconds to know what it was.

“ a rip in the time-space continuum…”

“ Yeah, I thought it might be that, but I wasn’t exactly sure. I knew you would be able to confirm it though.”

“We need to call the league. This shouldn’t be here. Who knows where it leads, or if anyone has gotten out of it yet. Some psycho from the future, or worse someone from the past who’s probably wandering about the city very confused right now. Oh God what if this has unfixable repercussions on the timeline?! No no this can’t be happening not after all I’ve done no please for the love of God I…”

“Bart! Calm down! Breathe okay?” Damian shouted while trying to anchor Bart back to reality. “Nothing bad has happened yet, and we will make sure nothing does. It’s gonna be alright, trust me.”

“… I guess… it still doesn’t make sense though, why did you get called here? Why you of all people?”

“I can answer that” a new voice appeared out of nowhere, making both boys turn and get into battle mode. The voice giggled “No need for that my dear boys, you wouldn’t exactly be able to hurt me anyway!”

 

And then all of a sudden, a woman appeared out of thin air. She was tall and elegant, wearing a magnificent silver dress and a white hooded cloak. But even despite the cloak, there was no denying how beautiful she was, her mysterious smile especially (admittedly, it was the only feature of her face you could see clearly, but still.) As beautiful as she was, she also had an aura of danger around her, and it would make anyone uneasy.  Damian was the first to regain composure.

“Who are you and what do you want with us?”

“That’s a great question Damian! The truth is, I’m very bored right now, so I decided, why not play a little with my two favorite boys? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you babies, I would never! I’m merely giving you an… opportunity of sorts. You’ll thank me, one day!”

“What are you even on about? That’s it, I don’t have time for charades, and I’ll take care of it right now!”

And without another word, Damian charged at the woman who just giggled again and with one flick of the hand sent him flying straight through the breach. Bart reacted pretty strongly to that of course.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!”

“Relax Bartie, he’s perfectly fine! Although, you should probably follow him before he does something stupid and ruin everything. “

“Or you know, I could arrest you and bring you to the League!”

“You could try yes, not sure you’d succeed. Plus it wouldn’t bring Damian back. Come on just go already, you’re the one who wanted a road trip right?”

“How do you… doesn’t matter! I wanted a normal road trip, not one across time!”

“Well, beggars can’t be choosers my love! Now go, the breach is gonna close soon, and then Damian would be lost in time. You wouldn’t want that now would you?”

Bart debated it for a few seconds. On one hand, he wanted anything but to have to go through another trip through time, especially not knowing where he was going, or rather when. On the other, the mysterious woman was right, he couldn’t leave Damian alone. Plus, with his expertise on time travel, they had more chance to get back to their own time together. Eventually, he just sighed, and jumped in .

A second later, he was in front of Damian who had letter in his hands, and looked absolutely dumbfounded. When he saw Bart, his eyes grew with surprise and worry.

“ Why the heck did you follow me Allen?!”

“What else was I suppose to do, forget about the fact that you were stranded in time and call it a day?”

“No, you weresupposed to get help!”

“didn’t have time for that! What’s with the letter anyway?”

As an answer, he shoved the piece of paper into his hands. It read:

 

“ _Hi darlings!_

_Welcome to 2012! A fine year, the Year of the Apocalypse according to the Mayas! Try not to spoil people on that front by the way!_

_So, I’m guessing you have a lot of questions! Well, I’m not willing to give you any answers yet, it’s more fun this way!_

_Don’t worry about money or housing, I’ve got everything figured out! This house is yours, you’ll see it’s in a much better state then it is in the future! You’ll also find money in the vault in the study, the code is 5896, see I didn’t leave you guys helpless now did I?_

_I truly hope you have a great time while you’re here and make the most of it! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, just seize the moment! Have a nice vacation and try not to destroy the timeline completely!_

_Best of luck!_

_H.“_

Bart sighed. He didn’t know what game this “H” was playing, but he was having none of it.

“Why 2012 of all years? Why would she want to send us there? Is there something we must do? Prevent? I’m so lost.”

“I don’t think it matters right now Bart, we should focus on finding a way to get home. And if possible without involving anyone we know.”

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think it’s going to be possible. We’ll have to go to the League eventually, you know we will. “

“this has all the makings of a disaster waiting to happen.”

Bart couldn’t help but silently agree. To think this day had started out great… he could only pray for things not to get worse now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: finding an ally.


	3. Well That Could Have Gone Better...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart and Damian plan their next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! so I'm a bit late, but only by like a day or two this time so I think it's okay!  
> I'm having a hard time with this story, it was supposed to be very fluff and crack oriented, but the plot is taking way too many directions right now (kinda like for my textfic lol but this was easier to manage) . So I'm trying to give make the humor come back little by little, but it won't get really crack-y until chapter 5 I think. same for the fluff except it might take even a bit longer, since I till have a lot of things to establish . Anyway I hope this won't bother you too much!  
> Hope you enjoy! xxx  
> (P.S. : there is a reference to my textfic in there, I'm sure most of you who read it will get it instantly, but for thosewho haven't, maybe check out Chapter 37 "Jonnhy B. Goode" of "And You Can Tell Everybody (This Is Your Song)" ? yeah that's all I can do for you. Kay bye now x)

After going back and forth on the issue for an hour or so, Bart and Damian finally agreed that they needed assistance if they wanted to find their way back to their own time. It was however far more difficult to convince Damian that their best bet was his own father.

“There’s no way in hell I’m meeting my father right now. Why can’t we just go to Superman or something?”

“Sups is not going to have the resources to help us, and the first thing he’ll do will be to call Bats anyway so we’d only be wasting time. “

Damian groaned.

“This is a nightmare! What am I supposed to tell him anyway? Oh hi Father, this is me, the son you have no idea you have, I’m from the future and I’m stuck here, care to help?”

“Well… not in so many words no. and you could probably go without actually telling him you’re his son…”

“You think he won’t guess? You think the world’s greatest detective won’t recognize his own child?”

“Well we have to at least try to keep him from knowing! We’ll just have to create fake identities, and to get rid of every signs that could help identify us easily. That means the Robin costume has got to go, I’m sorry. I’ll get rid of mine too.”

Damian was not too happy about that, but he knew this was the best course of action.

“Fine, I guess it would get confusing anyway, seeing as Grayson is probably running around as Robin as we speak.”

Bart’s eyes lit up at the words.

“Damn! I had completely forgotten about that! Oh my God all of them are still babiesI can’t deal that’s so cute!”

Damian saw red

“No. not happening.”

“What do you mean?”

“ We are not going to spy on the team just so you can gush about how cute and adorable everyone looks younger.

“But Damiiiiiiiii!”

“Nope. I’m gonna find a way to contact Father, hopefully the emergency codes are the same as in the future. Find something to occupy yourself in the meantime, and for the love of God, please don’t do anything stupid.”

Bart gasped with false indignation, but Damian didn’t even acknowledge it and went to find a laptop, leaving Bart alone. Once he was on his own, the weight of the situation seemed to dawn on him once again, and he tried not to panic.

So. He had been sent to the past. Again. He didn’t doubt that they would find a way to go back, but what if somehow, they made a mistake and changes things for the worse? Would they go home to a world where everything they knew was gone? One small mistake could cause terrible consequences, he knew that better than anyone.

He tried putting on the TV to get his mind off of things, but it seemed like some higher power had it out for him, because the film currently being showed was none other than “Back To The Future”. This was not irony he could appreciate.

It reminded him of a dream/nightmare he had had after seeing that film for the first time. He suffered at the thought. The idea of kissing Dick still terrified him to this day and it was totally that film’s fault. He still decided to keep the film as background sound , it was a great movie despite everything, and he searched around for a piece of paper and a pen. He needed to write down a plan, he couldn’t stay inactive while Damian was doing his super spy stuff or whatever.

He searched through every drawer in the living room, when he stumbled upon a wrapped package with a post it note with “For Bartie <3” written on it. He frowned, but unwrapped it anyway to find a beautiful notebook with his initials on it. A journal. Whoever sent them here, they seem to know a lot about them. Not everyone knew about Bart’s obsession with journaling. He shrugged, deciding not to dwell on it too much, before taking a pen in the same drawer and sitting on the couch to write his first entry.

While Bart was used to rush into everything, journaling was the one thing he took slow, making sure he used the right word, making his writing look as good as possible. It helped calm his mind to slow down once in a while.  He had just started when Damian came back.

“Okay, so I… what are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m writing.”

“Why do you look as focused as a child drawing a Mother’s day card?”

“Do I judge you on your life choices? Now you were saying?”

Damian came to sit next to Bart and looked at what he was writing while answering:

“Apparently the codes are still the same, so I sent a message with a request of meeting in two hours. Obviously he’s going to be wary, so we should make sure we’re convincing enough without giving away too much and… are you sure you’re the fastest man alive?” he interrupted his monologue to say “I mean, wouldn’t “one of the fastest men alive” be more accurate?”

“Shut up Damian, this is my journal, I do what I want. Continue.”

“Right, yes, we need to find new clothes. I checked, and there’s nothing to wear in the rooms upstairs.”

“I’ll make a quick trip to the mall once I finish writing this.”

“hm, don’t know if I trust to buy me clothes.”

“what, afraid I’ll turn you into the flower boy you were born to become?”

“Why are we even friends?”

“You love me and you know it. Don’t worry, in doubt, I’ll just buy every black items I can find. Won’t mess with your emo teenager look. “

“I am NOT an emo teenager!”

“Sure, you’re not.”

“Says the one who’s writing a diary like a 13 year old schoolgirl!”

“You take that back! It’s a journal, not a diary!”

“Same thing!”

 

Bart huffed and crossed his arms.

“ Watch me buy you only fluffy unicorn onesies and flower crowns, we’ll see who looks like a schoolgirl after that!”

Damian shook his head, knowing full well this was an empty threat.

“Anyway, we should work on our backstory a bit. Cause I know for a fact you’re the worst liar to ever grace this earth, so you better practice.”

“Stop roasting me, I’m older than you, show me respect!”

“Whatever.”

 

And so they spent a good half an hour preparing for their upcoming meeting, before Bart went to buy clothes as he had promised. (And if he happened to buy a red sleeveless puffy jacket for himself, well who could blame him really? If he was going to live through another time travel fiasco, better have fun with it).

They were prepared, they were confident, and they were pretty sure they had anticipated every single possible outcome to this encounter. Honestly, what could go wrong?

 

 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

 

_Bart’s Journal, Entry 2_

 

It went so wrong! The whole plan has gone up in flames in a matter of seconds and I don’t know wether to laugh or cry.

Okay let’s rewind. So Dams and I got to our rendez-vous point with Bats a bit early, and we waited for him. We were pretty sure he’d show, if only because Damian had hacked into the Batcave’s computer and sent a code only Batman and his Robins (or Robin at this stage really) would know. So that was bound to make him curious right?

In our defense, this was a pretty good assumption, and we’re sure he would have showed up if, you know, he was the one to have gotten the message. But we forgot to account for one thing. One pretty important variable . Richard Freaking Grayson.

Apparently, Dicj intercepted the message before it got to Bats, and he thought whoever sent it was impersonating him. And instead of going to Bruce about it, the brat decided to take things into his own hands! Well, his and the team’s of course. He was not going to go meet a potentially dangerous stranger alone. No he had to bring the whole team with him! You can see how that could cause a problem!

So here we are, waiting for Batman to show only to be met with a herd of teenage superheroes! And they weren’t too happy when we wouldn’t answer any of their questions and asked to see Batman. So they tried to arrest us. You can see how that wouldn’t go over well with Damian of course. This kid I swear. I can’t really complain though cause that Robin vs Robin fight was epic! I would have preferred not to have to humiliate Wally by beating him though. Poor boy is still really slow at this stage. By some kind of miracle, we managed to overpower most of them. Zatanna was tricky, but she doesn’t seem to have a full grasp of her powers yet. Kaldur didn’t seem ready for another speedster so I had the element of surprise on my side. Megan though… she tried entering my mind and I’m not going to lie, I snapped. A lot of dark moment resurfaced. Damian stopped everything to rush to my aid, like the literal angel he is, and yeah, maybe using an explosive device to make Megan back down was a low blow, but so was entering my mind . They didn’t like that though. And while Dami was trying to calm me down, they were able to  call for back up . So yeah long story short Batman finally showed up, and we are now locked up in Mount Justice (I missed that place).

Damian is fuming with rage, I don’t know who he’s pissed off at the most, Dickie or Megan.  As for me, I’m just trying to stay as calm as possible, even though everyone know there’s nothing worse than being trapped for a speedster. But I can’t lose my temper when Damian is on full rage mode like this, one of us has to be the reasonable one.

I’m sure we’re going to be interrogated soon anyway, so we’ll be able to plead our case and hopefully convince them to help, despite the terrible first impression which wasn’t really our fault.

Let’s hope they come sooner rather than later, I’m hungry!

 

B.A.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay that was tedious!  
> Next Chapter: NANANANA NANANANA NANANANA NANANANA BATMAAAAAAN! And I guess the team too yeah whatever


	4. Starting Off On The Wrong Foot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robpulse vs the Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so, I'mlate again.  
> I don't know man, this story just doesn't want to be written. those first few chapters are not coming to me as easily as usual.I hope if I pass all the set up chpters it will become easier...  
> SoI started writing this two weeks ago but I couldn't get more than a few sentences out. I decided to wait until it came or until the week end (since my self imposed deadline is on monday). but then muy best friend told me that one of his friends had an extra ticket for Disneyland. I had never been to Disneyland. so I waent to Disneyland. I did the Tea Cups, Pirates of the Caribbeans, saw the parade with all the princesses and everything, I even took a picture with Mickey! life is great man. but yeah so I couldn't exactly write. so this chapter was delayed even longer. and today I finally said enough is enough and put a final period. I hate it, its really not good but I don't think I can make it any better so... here you go, hoefully next one will actually be good!  
> Hope you enjoy! xxx  
> PS: I might start a new fic while I also write this one, so if I end u with another writers block, I have something to fall on and you stillget content from me. be on the look out for that if you dont see any udate in more than a week on this one!

Damian was pacing back and forth in the small cell while Bart was sitting against the wall, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“Can you stop that please?” Bart asked while sighing exasperatedly “You’re giving me anxiety.”

“I need to get my nerves out somehow alright?” Damian answered, but finally threw himself on the ground next to Bart in a huff.

“It’s only a matter of time before they come barging in and demand answers anyway. Please try not to antagonize them to much when they do?”

“No promises” Damian grumbled while toying with one of his sleeves.

Bart rolled his eyes. He felt very tired all of a sudden for some reason.

Finally, Kaldur and Conner arrived to escort them to the room where they would be interrogated in front of the whole team. Bart happily waved at the group while Damian glared at them, and neither of their approaches were well received by their audience. They were forced to sit down on chairs in the middle of the room, and Batman came forward to start the questioning.

“Who are you? State your names.”

“None of your business.” Damian answered while defying his father with his stare.

“What my friend here is trying to say” Bart tried to limit the damages “is that we can’t tell you that.”

“You’re going to have to if you don’t want to spend any more time in this cell.”

Damian was about to retort, but Bart cut him, suddenly having an idea of how to turn the situation to their advantage.

“Alright then, but I’ll tell Alfred you’re bullying us, B. he’ll be disappointed that’s for sure. “

A quick scan to the room showed him that he had made the right call. Most of the team had no clue what he was talking about, but Dick looked at him with a frown while Wally’s eyes had doubled. Batman seemed to not react for a second, but then he ordered:

“Everyone out. I need to be alone with those two.”

The team started protesting, but Batman stopped it at once:

“Silence! I gave you an order! Robin, make sure no one tries to listen in” he added looking pointedly at Conner.

Dick nodded and started pushing his comrades out of the room with the help of Kaldur.

Once they were gone, Batman started talking again.

“So. Based on all that’s happened, I’m guessing you’re both time travelers?”

Bart gasped and clapped excitedly

“I’m never going to get used to how good of a detective you are Brucie!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You’re fighting a lost cause” Damian shrugged “he’s not likely to listen to you, or anyone for that matter.”

“Never mind that. What can you both tell me without endangering the time-space continuum? Well, other than the fact that you’re probably an Allen, and that you’re somehow related to me.”

“See, I told you he’d guess instantly! I knew this was a bad idea!”

“We didn’t have any other choice Dami!”

“Stop that and start talking you two.”

“Fine, not that it matters anymore since you already know far too much. This is Bart Allen, Barry’s grandson, and I’m Damian Wayne, your son. We’re obviously from the future, and we have no idea how to get back to our time. Some kind of witch decided to have some fun and send us to the past, your present, and we don’t even know why. All we want is to go home, and we were just trying to get in contact with you but your pest of a ward decided it was okay to intercept our message!  Are you happy now?”

Bart had to suppress a giggle seeing Damian get all petty and irritated. For a second there, he saw the kid he used to be all those years ago, the same one who would fight with his father almost every day. Batman didn’t seem phased by this however.

“I’m not sure I understand. You’re my son, but you’re Barry’s grandson? But you seem to know each other very well? How is that possible?”

“Oh yeah, that! I’m basically a living paradox! Long story short, I travelled back from the future a few years ago, or from your perspective, a few years from now, for reasons I can’t tell you about, and I’ve been living in this time ever since! And let me tell you, I was not looking forward to another trip! “

“I hate time travel. Fine, I guess we’ll find a way to send you back to… what year are you from?”

“2024.”

“2024? You look older than twelve” he pointed to Damian.

“SPOILERS!” Bart screamed before Damian could answer.

“Why are you like this?” Damian sighed, shaking his head towards his friend “but yeah he’s right, you shouldn’t ask too many questions.”

“Right, my bad. Anyway, we’ll find a way to send you back. In the meantime, you’ll need a cover story so as to not raise too many suspicions. I’ll tell the League you’re new recruits I found for the team. “

“What?!” Damian exclaimed “No. no way, it’s out of the question. We are not joining the team!”

“Aw come on Dami! It’s gonna be fun!”

“What happened to keeping a low profile and avoiding interactions?!”

“It’s a bit late for that” Batman answered. “They know about you, and they will probably not leave you alone anyway, especially after you attacked Miss Martian.”

“She tried to enter Bart’s mind! She had no right to do that!”

“Dami, it’s okay…”

“No it’s not! You know it’s not! I did what I had to do to protect my partner, she left me no choice.”

“I understand that, but they’re not likely to. That’s why it’s better if they can keep an eye on you, and you try to gain their trust while we work on a way to send you back.”

“I agree with this plan one hundred percent!”

“I don’t! This is a terrible idea!”

“Stop being dramatic! It’s going to be so fun! Although I’m a bit too old for this team, they’re all children still!”

“Well, you look twelve so…”

“Hey! You’re the one who looks like a baby!”

“Are you always like this?” Batman asked.

“Always!” Bart answered with a big smile.

After finally forcing Damian to agree, they worked on their fake identities. They would be Benjamin and Daniel Porter, two brothers from Canada that recently got into the Superhero business.  Their codenames would be Lightspeed and Redbird. Once that was cleared, they went to get introduced to the team properly. To say they weren’t happy with the idea of having them on the team was an understatement. But they didn’t say anything in front of Batman of course. Once the Dark Knight was gone, having stated that they needed some time for team bonding, they lost all pretense.

 “Okay, I think I’m speaking for everyone here when I say that we don’t trust or like you” Conner was the first to say “ So if I were you, I’d keep a low profile and be very careful.”

“Is that a threat Kent?” Damian snapped back, trying to make himself look as imposing as the semi-kryptonian.

“Alright, enough! Dam… Danny, stand down. Superboy, neither my brother nor me are your enemies. There’s no need for fighting.”

“Not our enemies?! You attacked M’gann with explosives!”

“And I’ll do it again if she ever tries to enter Ba…Ben’s mind without his consent! That’s fucked up!”

“We were fighting!” Megan shouted indignantly “I had every right to…”

“Don’t you dare finish this sentence! First of all, you attacked us! We were only trying to defend ourselves, and we didn’t use any lethal force, and believe me we could have! So you using your telepathy on my brother was dirty and you should be ashamed of yourself! Some hero you are!”

“Hey!” Wally intervened, “Don’t attack her like that! She was only trying to do her job!”

“Well she needs to do it properly then!”

“Enough!” Kaldur finally put an end to the discussion. “While I understand that we’re all pissed about the explosives, you all have got to admit that he has a point. Trying to enter Benjamin’s mind was the wrong course of action, and we already talked about this Megan. You can’t use your powers however you like, you need to be more responsible.”

Megan lowered her head in shame, while Damian crossed his arms, satisfied with the leader’s answer.

“You can’t take seriously be taking their side Kaldur! Wally whined.

“Yeah, Megan would’ve been seriously hurt!” Artemis added.

“I’m not taking anyone’s side. Both parties were at fault, we need to acknowledge it and move on, do you hear me all of you?”

The whole team mumbled some sort of agreement, not exactly pleased with the way things were going.

“Good. Now, Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis, Zatanna and Kid Flash, it’s time to train. We’ve been beaten like amateurs today, it can’t happen again. Robin, can you show our new recruits around?”

“Sure” Dick shrugged “ let’s go.”

Damian seemed about to protest, not really wanting to have to talk to the younger version of his eldest brother, but art was already following him so he just sighed and went after them. Once they were out of earshot, Dick just turned around and said:

“So, I guess you don’t really need a tour of the place.”

“What makes you think that?” Bart asked confused.

“I’m sure you spend a lot of time here in the future.”

“Well actually… wait what?! How do you… How do you know?!”

Dick smiled evilly while Damian rolled his eyes.

“He put a mic on you Bart. I knew he was far too curious to accept father’s order without any protests. We’ve underestimated how much of a nuisance he actually is even now.”

“I can feel the love little brother. Is it true by the way? Are you really Bruce’s son?”

“Obviously” Damian huffed.

“That’s amazing! I’ve always wanted a little brother!”

“Just one?” Bart asked with a smile.

“Well, ideally I’ve always liked being surrounded by a big family, growing up in the circus does that to you. But one is already good! Ain’t that right little bro’?”

“I’m older than you, vermin.”

“Ah, nothing like family love!” Dick answered happily.

Bart found this whole interaction pretty funny and adorable. He knew Damian was not going to be able to handle this younger Dick Grayson, and he was very excited to see this unfold.

“And so you’re an Allen?” Dick added while looking Bart up and down, as if he was assessing how much he looked the part.

“Yup! Barry’s grandson and Wally’s first cousin once removed! But Wally’s also basically my dad. Or my brother, it depends on the day.”

“O…kay? Well, it’s true that I can see the resemblance. You could very well be brothers. You have the same eyes for example?”

“Huh. I guess it’s true, I never thought about this. This explain why my puppy dog eyes work so well on you.”

“No, they work because he’s weak and he thinks you’re his baby” Damian grumbled. “Can we move on now? I’m starting to get bored.”

“Well, we can always join the others while they train. Not sure it’s the best idea though since they all hate you guys.”

“eh, we’ve both been in worse situations. Let’s go see how the baby team works!”

 

Damian sighed but didn’t protest, and so they went on. All in all, things went pretty well, not counting the occasional death stares they were receiving. Dick stayed with them and made small talks which helped to ease their nerves a bit. No matter when they were, Dick Grayson would always be there to make things easier for them it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Life with the team


	5. A Thing For Speedsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart knows. Dick knows that Bart knows. Bart doesn't know what he's supposed to know. Damian is not there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah I got nothing  
> Honnestly I don't know what happened with this chapter. it was supposed to be really light and funny but Dick decided that I shouldn't do that for some reason. tbh I really like it. hope you do too. kk bye now xxx

_Bart’s Journal, entry 3_

It’s been a little over a week now, and we’re still nowhere near finding a way home. I’m pretty sure Dami’s gonna explode at some point. On the bright side however, the team is slowly but surely starting to warm up to us. I mean, Damian and Conner are still at each other’s throat, Megan still doesn’t want to be alone in a room with either of us and Artemis has threatened us a few too many times, but other than that it’s pretty chill.

It’s a bit strange to be surrounded by teenagers, I mean I’ve never been the most mature and I’m not sure anyone would call me a functioning adult, but still, they make me feel so old and I don’t like it. That’s why I spend most of the time we have to be at Mount Justice with Kaldur. Out of all of them, he’s the one who’s the closest to his adult version right now. Plus I think he appreciates having someone older to consult that isn’t his superior officer, even though again, no functioning adult to be found here.

As I said earlier, Damian is on the verge of breaking down, but strangely, he hasn’t started lashing out on people yet (Conner doesn’t count, they're both responsible for their fights). On the contrary, he has shown an amount of patience I didn’t think was possible, especially with Dickie. Dick has taken to following him basically everywhere, not letting him out of his sight for even a second. He tries to grill him in hopes he’ll let some details of the future slip most of the times which never works of course, but he’s also taken to just chatter about his own life and problems. I never thought about how much Batman’s secrecy and paranoia had weighed on Dick growing up, but it’s clear he sees Damian being here as an opportunity to unload a bit.

And while he complains about it, I think Damian likes it. This big brother role he kind of has to play right now. He’s always had that protective instinct, I think in a way he was always going to be good at this.

Something is odd though. I know it’s only been a week, but I noticed that Dick and Wally have spent almost no time together, except for once during a mission where they were paired up. I’ve never seen them so distant with each other the whole time I’ve known them, well maybe when I first got back in time, I can’t really remember I had a lot on my plate back then. But it’s really strange to see them like this. Dami agrees, but according to him, every time Wally is mentioned, Dick changes the subject. I really want to investigate, but at the same time, butterfly effect you know? I would literally kill myself if I did anything to jeopardize Birdflash, I love them more than life itself.

It’s really hard to see all those couples being apart though. Reminds me how far I am from home and how much I miss everyone, our lives, and Jaime…

Gods I miss my boyfriend. I actually think I’m an addict. I used to make fun of Wally for not being able to cope without Dickie for more than two days but honestly, I’m not much better. Damian handles it a lot better than I do, that part at least, but I’ve seen some signs that he actually misses Jon terribly, like when he stops in the middle of a fight with Conner to stare at the El family crest on his chest, or when he hums a pop song he wouldn’t be caught dead listening to under his breath which I know for a fact is one of Jon’s go to jams. Seriously, can those two get any more adorable?

I think that’s all I had for this entry, Bart out!

 

 

Today was a day off for the team, which meant Bart had decided to stay in the home provided by the mysterious entity who had sent them here. He still didn’t know what to think of the woman. On one hand she hadn’t seemed hostile, but on the other who sends people back in time without their consent?  In any case, she hadn’t resurfaced yet.  She probably would, eventually, Bart figured.

Damian had just gone out to do grocery shopping, refusing to let Bart speed through the task, saying he needed to do something to keep being sane, and since he had nothing better to do, it would have to be grocery shopping.

So here Bart was, alone  and bored out of his mind. He was presently lying down on the couch, staring at the ceiling, listening to a rather depressing playlist and contemplating life. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, which surprised him since no one knew that they lived here as far as he knew. Cautiously, he got to the front door and opened it to find Dick, a huge smile on his face.

“Dickie? What are you doing here? How did you find this place?”

“Tracked you down of course! It was pretty easy not gonna lie. Also did you really think Brucie had no idea where you lived? Please, two time travelers lost in our time, he’d never leave you without any supervision. “

Bart had to admit it made sense, and mentally slapped himself for not thinking about that.

“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”

“I was bored, so I decided to come and hang here. I figured it was better than staying at the Manor alone. “

“Oh, well Damian’s not here right now.”

“That’s alright, I’ll hang out with you. “

Oh. Now don’t get him wrong, Bart would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with Dick, no matter what age he was, but he knew himself well enough to know he was incapable of keeping any secrets from him, and especially not when he was so small and cute. And he knew Dick was probably going to try to get him to spill things about the future. He was a curious little pest like that. But he couldn’t exactly send him away.

“ Alright, come in then I guess.”

He stepped away to let him in and they went to the living room. There they sat in silence for a little while, Dick staring at Bart with a curious gaze, still smiling, and Bart awkwardly trying to not meet his eyes. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore:

“Is there something on my face or…?”

“Nah, you’re just interesting to look at.”

“Thanks I guess?”

“You’re welcome. So! Bartholomew Henry Allen the Second.  Pretty cool legacy you got going on. Grandson to the Flash, first cousin once removed to Kid Flash. Must be pretty cool growing up like this.”

“I guess it could have been, under other circumstances.”

Dick frowned at that.

“What do you mean?”

Bart cursed under his breath. He already goofed up.

“Nothing, it’s not important!”

But Dick wasn’t convinced.

“ You never said why you came back in time the first time around. And why you never tried to go back to your time back then.”

“And I won’t tell you now. Spoilers.”

“oh come on!”

“No, absolutely not. You have no idea of the consequences this could bring. This could change more than just our lives, this could change the whole world and probably for the worse. So you won’t know anything about my life pre first time travel and that’s my final answer, capisce?”

Bart wasn’t used to acting stern, and he probably looked like a bad parody of Batman right now, but at least it seemed to work since Dick pouted but nodded.

“Can you at least tell me how things are in your time? Not In detail but like, is the team okay? Are we happy?”

“You are. You really are. And you deserve it, more than anyone I know.”

“Huh. So we’re close then? “

“Very close yes. “

“Figures. I have a soft spot for speedsters it seems. “

Bart chuckled at that, before taking the opportunity to redirect the conversation.

“While we’re on this subject, what’s going on between you and Wally? You seem distant with each other. “

Bart saw sadness flash on Dick’s face before it got replaced by a neutral mask.

“It’s nothing, we just don’t have as much time to spend with each other as we used to, that’s all. Part of growing up I guess. “

“Let me get this straight, you don’t have time to hang out with him, but you have time to come all the way out here and come hang with me when you’re bored?”

“Fine, I do have time, but that doesn’t mean he does. Not for me anyway.”

Bart’s heart ached. There had been a time when he had felt abandoned by Wally as well, felt like he didn’t have his place in his life anymore. And he knew from talking with the adult version of him that it had been difficult for Dick even back then to see Dick with someone else, but he didn’t know how much it had stung.

“ Wally will always have time for you Dickie.”

“Obviously not. His relationship with his girlfriend is more important now.  Which is great, I’m happy for him. After all, the reason things didn’t work with me and Zatanna is because I didn’t make enough time for her, so I guess he got that right. It just sucks to lose my best friend that’s all. “

“Don’t say that! You’re not losing anyone. Girlfriends, they come and go, but what you two have, it’s different. It’s not a simple friendship, it goes deeper. The thing is, Wally is kind of stupid sometimes. He’s oblivious to a lot of things. He won’t know you’re hurt and you miss him unless you tell him. He probably misses you just as much but doesn’t realize it yet. And if you don’t tell him, he’ll realize to late. So don’t let him get away with this, call him out on it. He needs to hear it. “

“you seem to know a lot about our relationship. “

“Not to brag but I really do. Trust me on this, you’re not losing Wally. He’d rather jump into a volcano than leave you behind.”

 

Dick nodded slowly at that, trying to process everything.

“ what else do you know about me then?”

“Probably a lot that you don’t know yourself yet, or you know but just won’t admit.”

“… So you do know.”

“About what?”

“About… well you know.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to know.”

“You know exactly what you’re supposed to know!”

“How am I supposed to know what I’m supposed to know if you don’t let me know what you think I know that I’m supposed to know?”

“Ugh, you’re giving me a headache!”

“Yeah I’m pretty good at that. Anyway what did you mean? “

“… you’re really gonna make me say it?”

“Not if you’re not ready to do it no. I know from experience it takes time to accept yourself. I’m not about to force you to do it just because I know you eventually do. “

“I… I do?”

“Yup. And everyone around you does too. It doesn’t make us love you any less. “

Bart saw Dick’s eyes start to glisten, but this was not adult Dick in touch with his emotion that didn’t care if anyone saw him cry. No, this one was still a kid, and didn’t know it was okay to let go, and so he tried to bite back the tears. Bart smiled indulgingly, and put his hand on Dick’s back.

“I know what it’s like. To feel like you’re all alone. To think nobody is ever going to understand what you’re going through. To feel as though one wrong move could mean you’ll really end up alone after all. But I swear to you, it won’t ever happen. It didn’t happen to me, and it certainly won’t happen to you. You’ll always have yours friends and family on your corner. And right now, you might not be ready to tell your truth, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have anyone. I’m in your corner okay ? As long as I’m stuck here, you have me. “

Dick tried to answer audibly, but it came out as a sob, so he opted for another nod instead. Bart smiled again and pulled him in for a hug. Dick held onto him a little bit tighter than necessary, and mumbled:

“I don’t really know you yet, but I can already tell you’re gonna be my favorite.”

 

Well, he wasn’t wrong about that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Probably a whole lot of Damian, cause he can't be grocery shopping everytime can he?


	6. From Wrath to Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian is an angry boi™, but he's also a soft boi™. Bruce has a lot of thoughts. Conner will probably catch these hands soon if he doesn't calm down (I love him tho)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah... somehow everytime I update, the plot gets further ad further away from me. I was supposed to move the story forward with this one but... Idk, I had a lot of feels that I wanted to get out, it's probably because I've already seen Avengers Endgame twice and I'm very emo.  
> Anyway enjoy the feels my loves xxx

 

 

Damian was sitting alone in the control room of Mount Justice, bored out of his mind, waiting for a call, a mission, anything. He couldn’t stand being here with the team when they didn’t have anything to do. While they started to warm up to Bart, most of them were still wary of him, which was understandable, he had never been as lovable and social as Bart. It still was annoying though, it reminded him of how he was treated when he was younger, before Jon came into his life and made him want to open up more.

Jon. Oh how he missed him right now. They hadn’t really been apart since they started going to school together. And if they had to be, they still had been able to communicate one way or another. Most people would think it was because he was overprotective of his boyfriend, which wasn’t false exactly, but as the years had gone by he’d realize how much stronger than everyone thought Jon really was. It didn’t stop him from worrying, but it helped put his anxiety of anything happening to him at bay. That didn’t mean that he liked being separated from him though.

It could have been worse however. After all, he still had Bart, and while he would never admit it, it made him feel a lot safer and far less hopeless than he would have been had he been alone. Bart always had a good influence on his emotions, probably because they were very similar under their apparent very different personalities.

But right now, Bart was having a heart to heart with Dick. They had been doing that a lot more for the past couple days. Damian had an idea of what they were talking about, but didn’t want to pry, it wasn’t really his style.

So he was alone, and bored, as said previously, desperately waiting for something to do. He was toying with the computer when someone entered the room. To his annoyance, it was none other than Superboy who sent him a glare as soon as he saw him. He didn’t even acknowledge his presence and just continued with his task, thinking the other would eventually leave. He didn’t however, and started stomping his feet impatiently. Damian sighed, turned around and asked:

“What do you want Kent?”

“What are you doing here?”

“passing the time as you can see.”

“Why are you touching the computer? Are you trying to hack it?”

Damian rolled his eyes.

“if I wanted to hack it, I wouldn’t do it In view of everyone. You need to stop  stalking me and thinking everything I do is suspicious, I haven’t done anything to warrant that. “

“You attacked Megan!”

“We already talked about that! You guys are the ones who attacked us! SHE entered Ba.. Ben’s mind without consent and nearly made him spiral! You have no idea how much damages she might have caused! I acted in order to protect my brother. “

“But you could have really hurt her, the least you could do is apologize!”

Damian looked at him dumbfounded. How could the Conner he knew in the future have ever been as stupid and unlikeable as this one?

“Did she apologize for doing what she did? I don’t think so. I thought you of all people would understand why I take mental manipulation very seriously. But it seems when it comes to your girlfriends, your morals don’t apply the same way. Pathetic.”

“You take that back!”

“ I will when you stop letting your feelings cloud your judgement and start admitting you’re in the wrong. My brother has lived a hard life, and what Miss Martian has done could have caused him irreversible damages had I not intervened. You can tell me she didn’t mean to, that she’s a good person and she would never harm anyone, but the fact is she did and she wasn’t show remorse. My brother is the kindest, most honorable and generous person you’ll ever meet. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. One quick look into his mind and she could have seen that, but no, she had to go for his worst fears and memories first. That’s what I call an abuse of power. She does it because she can, and no one is stopping her. Well not anymore. From now on, if she steps out of line, I’ll be there to remind her of her place. And if you try to stop me, well I’ll just have to remind you too. “

Conner stayed silent for a while, and Damian could see he was actually thinking about all of what had just been said. Then, he continued, with a far less confident voice:

“ Megan said she saw darkness in his mind. A lot of war, destruction, death. She said it scared her to death, and that’s why she still doesn’t trust him.”

Damian balled his fist, trying to control his anger.

 “ Megan is an idiot if she can’t recognize a victim when she sees one. I told you already, my brother has lived a hard life. One you can’t even begin to understand. It’s a miracle he’s still alive. Don’t you dare ask him about it, or you will regret ever being born. I’m never too far away from kryptonite, fair warning.”

 

And he left the room without further ado. In the hall way, he came face to face with his father in costume of course, and Batman didn’t even greet him, he just told him to follow him. Damian frowned.

“Where are we going?”

“Home. “

Perplexed, he still followed him to the Zeta Tube. They arrive in the Batcave where Alfred was there to greet them.

“Master Bruce, I didn’t think you would be back until tonight.”

“I had a slight change of plan.”

“So I see. Master Damian I presume? It’s a pleasure to meet you, although you probably already know me quite well.”

“I’m glad to see you Alfred” Damian answered with a slight smile while shaking the Butler’s hand.

“We”ll change into normal clothes, then we’ll take the tea in the living room” Bruce declared and Alfred nodded while presumably heading to the kitchen “you can borrow some clothes from Dick, he won’t mind. You know where his room is right?”

“Yeah, pretty sure he hasn’t changed in the past few years. “

“Good. I’ll meet you in the living room in ten minutes then.”

Damian nodded and took himself to Dick’s room. It hadn’t changed a lot, probably because even in the future it was his teenage room since he didn’t live here anymore. Just a few less pictures and more mess. He chose to wear a simple black jean and a dark blue sweater and got down the stairs to get to the living room. His father was already waiting for him and mentioned him to sit down which he did. Alfred then came in to serve them tea, and Damian thanked him graciously. He had actually missed the butler a lot these past few weeks, and realized how much he’d taken him for granted. The two Waynes started drinking in silence until Damian decided to break it.

“Why did you make me come here?”

“I wanted to have a chat with you, preferably away from prying ears.”

“You wanted to have a chat.”

“I did.”

“Huh. You’re not usually one for chats.”

“You’re not wrong about that. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with Superboy earlier.”

“Right. If you’re going to ask me to play nice with him for the good of the team, I’m afraid this won’t be possible, not as long as he continues being stupid. “

“I’m starting to understand that I’m not going to change your mind once it’s made up. You probably get that from me, or so would Alfred say most likely. You seem to really dislike Superboy though. Is it really just about the way you met here or are you letting things in the future influence the way you view him here.”

Damian sorted. He couldn’t have been further from the truth, which was unusual for the world’s greatest detective.

“On the contrary, Conner and I get along very well in the future. The only vendetta I have is against his current stupidity. His precious girlfriend hurt Bart. No one hurts Bart and gets away with it, not on my watch.”

“You’re really loyal to him.” Bruce remarked.

“He’s family.” Damian responded with a certain finality to it.

“ A family you chose then.”

“Something else I get from you it would seem.”

Bruce smiled for a second, another rare occurrence.

“I guess so. Your bond is really strong, there’s no doubt about it. I guess my sons are destined to have their lives intertwined with speedsters. “

“At least I didn’t fall in love with one, you can count that as a win. “

Bruce shrugged.

“ Dick could do worse than Wally. At least he’s not crushing on a Super.”

Damian accidently choked on his tea hearing those words, and tried to control his cough to stay as dignified as he could, before he could answer, his cheeks red:

“Yeah, at least there’s that.”

Bruce looked at him suspiciously and quite a bit amused, but didn’t say anything about what just happened.  

“so you and Bart are close. It’s an odd pairing, you have very different personalities.”

“ I know, everyone is always surprise that we get along so well. But we have more in common than you would think. And he’s been there for me in some of my worst moment. I couldn’t ask for a more loyal or devoted friend. That’s why I have to protect him now. He’s the least deserving of pain and sorrow person I know, and I’ll be damned if I let him suffer when I can do something about it. “

Bruce seemed to think for a while.

“you know, when I met you and saw how much anger you had n you, I thought ‘yup, this one is my son alright’. But the more I get to know you, the least I understand how I could ever have raised you to be such a good person. It doesn’t make sense to me. I am a lot of things, a good parental figure is not one of them. I had my work cut out for me with Dick, and even then I managed to screw up more times than I can count. but you, you’re more well-adjusted than I could ever have hoped for. There’s no way I’m responsible of that. “

Damian swallowed difficultly, a bit moved by the indirect compliment, and not really knowing how to take all of this in. he inhaled before answering.

“Trust me, I have my share of demons, and I wasn’t always as “well-adjusted” as you say, as you might think. I’m not gonna tell you that we’ve always gotten along and never fought or said messed up things to each other, but at the end of the day, you’re my father, and I couldn’t ask for a better one. I wouldn’t want anyone else either. It takes time, but we got there in the end. And if you ever doubt you can be a good parental figure, remember that at least, you’re not my mother, so you got that going for you. “

Bruce hummed in response, taking it all in, before taking another sip of his tea.

“Is there a specific reason why you’re questioning your parenting skills all of a sudden?”

Bruce hesitated for a few seconds, then said:

“I met a kid. A real punk. He tried to steal the tires of the Batmobile. He’s a brat, but I think he has a good heart, he’s just had no one to take care of him until now. I decided to take him in, but I wasn’t sure if I was what he needed. Like I said, I was lucky with Dick, he’s always been better than me. His parents gave him a great education before they passed, and he still had that engrained in him. But this kid had it rough from the beginning. I’m not sure I’ll be able to give him the life he deserves.”

Damian tried not to get emotional thinking about Jason, a young, innocent Jason, still untainted by all of the horrors he will face in a few years. Out of the four of them, no one would deny that Jason suffered the most. And yet, when you saw where it got him in the end, how happy he was right now, he would tell you it all had been worth it. The life he had right now was worth it. Not trusting himself to not say something stupid, Damian decided to take out his phone instead and search for a specific picture which he showed his father.

“This is a picture of Jason and I last year. He just came back to the manor one day out of the blue and basically kidnapped me, saying we were going on a road trip. I pretended to hate it the whole week, but truthfully, I had a lot of fun. I had really needed it at the time, and Jay knew it. He always knows what I need before I do. What I’m trying to say is, Jay is an amazing big brother, and a great addition to the family. Just like with me, it’s not always going to be easy between you two. It’s probably going to be even harder. But it’s worth it. He’s always worth it. And you are two. So give him a chance, and give yourself a chance. It’s gonna pay in the end I promise.”

Bruce stared a the picture for a while. Jason had Damian in a headlock and Damian was obviously trying to break free, which was a funny sight. But the thing that caught his eyes the most was the blinding smile on Jason’s face, and the light in his eyes he had yet to see in his younger version. There was no doubt that this man was happy, and that was all he needed to know.

“ Well, it’s good to know the family bond will be strong between all my sons at least.”

“You have no idea.”

“I’m sure I’ll get to see it sooner or lter. Thank you for your advices Damian, it certainly helped. Do you want to stay for dinner? Dick shouldn’t be long, and I can tell him to bring Bart if you want. I’m sure you must miss Alfred’s cooking.”

“That I do indeed” Damian confirmed before accepting.

Dinner was a far more joyful affair than usual in the Wayne Manor with the enthusiastic chatter of Dick and Bart. Damian intervened when he thought it was necessary, and Bruce was content with just observing, although their was a hint of smile in his eyes as he watched his family be happy in front of him, giving him hope for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wuld have thought that Dami needed to go back in time to connect with his dad? well certainly not me but sometimes you gotta write what you gotta write.  
> Next Chapter: if everything goes to plan... probably angst. I''m sorry love you okay bye  
> also PS: I love Jason, I miss Jason, get ready for me doing something about missing Jason really soon. perhaps not only in this story if you catch my drift...


	7. A Reflection on Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One Robin is worried about the future, another one is haunted by his past. Bart just wonders a lot about the meaning of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this? another update already? unbelievable! Incroyable as my people say!  
> Honestly I don't know what's happening to me I just feel like writing a lot.  
> fair Warning, if you havn't read my textfic then the second part of this chapter will probably not make a lot of sense. however as it is a very long textfic I will be kind enough to point you to the exact chapters I'm talking about:  
> Chapter 49: Something's Not Right, Chapter 50: And You Can Never Hurt Me Again and of course Chapter 51: Big Brother Bart. This one is also good if you're interested in Bart and Damian's relationship developpement, as well as the end of Chapter 43: hopelessly devoter to you and Chapter 44: All You Need Is Love.  
> Ojkay that's enough plugging for today lol.  
> Hope you Enjoy this chapter, I really put a lot of effort into it! xxx

_Entry 4_

It’s funny how time works sometimes. I find it fascinating the power time has on people. Sometimes I feel there’s nothing more powerful. You can try to harness it, to change it, but in the end time always wins. You can’t outrun it. I don’t know if things happen for a reason, if it’s all part of a plan or if we all have a destiny. All I know is that time always runs its course, and the more you try to deny it, the more you suffer.

It’s hard sometimes though, to accept it. Especially when you’re me. I grew up wishing I could turn back time, and I did. I changed the course of history. Except… did I really? Did I change the future, or did I create a new present for myself? That’s problem when you play God with forces you don’t completely understand, there will always come a moment where it comes back to haunt you.

Being here, being in the past, it’s starting to take its toll on me. I don’t know how much longer I can take it before I snap and do something I regret. I know I shouldn’t change anything, I know that I just…

When you’re put in front of that kind of opportunity, it’s hard to force yourself to do nothing.

But I don’t have a choice. I can’t do anything. There is something I could do, but nothing I SHOULD do. But knowing it doesn’t make it easier…

 

 

 

 

Dick was having a bad day. Nothing was going his way, and it was starting to get old. First, Wally had bailed on him for the third time this month only, not even calling to tell him he wasn’t coming this time. That had put a really big damper on his mood of course, but he couldn’t say he was surprised at this point. Then, Bruce had decided to drop a bomb out of nowhere: he was adopting a new kid.

At first, Dick had been ecstatic. He’d always wanted a sibling, and now that he’d met Damian, it had only increased. A new brother was exactly what he needed right now he thought. But then Bruce told him of his plans to make Jason the new Robin as soon as possible. That had been a low blow.

According to Bruce, Dick had outgrown the role, and he’d ran out of things to teach him. He was pretty much always working with the team anyway, and it was time for a change. He said Jason needed it, that he could benefit from it. But that didn’t sit well with Dick. Robin was his identity, his nickname his mother had given him. Robin was him and no one else, and now Bruce wanted to replace him? Was he just a tool to be thrown out once you didn’t have any use for him anymore? Was everybody going to abandon him like that one by one, was that what he had to look forward to in life?

He knew he shouldn’t resent Jason for it, the kid had no say In the matter, and hell, he hadn’t even met him yet. But it was so hard to see everything you hold dear being taken away by a perfect stranger all of a sudden, living you with nothing. What was he supposed to do then? What was he supposed to become?

So he wasn’t in the best disposition when he got to Mount Justice. He just wanted to get through the day with as little social interactions as he could.

They got a mission, a pretty standard one really, just some arms dealers they needed to stop, but his head wasn’t in the game, and he made stupid mistakes that put his life in danger. When they got back, he of course had to endure one of Kaldur’s lecture about recklessness and team work. He was to tired to say anything, he just sat back and took it, nodding absentmindedly. Kaldur must have noticed that something wasn’t quite right, because he just sighed, told him not to do it again and let him go.

Wally was waiting for him behind the door, and he honestly wasn’t in the mood for that. He tried ignoring him and going past him, but the speedster stopped him:

“Dude, what the hell?”

“Not now KF, I really don’t have the patience right now.”

“what’s up with you today? You’re acting all weird.”

“Well, maybe you would know if you cared enough to show up when we’re supposed to hang out! “

“What are you.. wait… that was today?”

Dick huffed, shaking his head.

“ Of course you don’t even remember”

“Shit Dickie, I’m so sorry I totally forgot, it’s just, there was this whole thing with uncle B and then Artemis…”

“Save it, it doesn’t matter.”

“it does if it’s going to make you so upset you start screwing up on missions.”

Dick let out a humorless laugh.

“You think that’s messing with me enough to make me screw up? Please, you’re not that special. “

“Then what’s wrong?”

“None of your business.”

“Of course it is! I’m your best friend, if something’s wrong with you I need to know so I can fix it!”

“Some best friend you are.”

Wally took a step back, hurt visible on his face, but Dick didn’t care. He certainly wouldn’t feel guilty when it was the truth.

“Dick, I told you I was sorry.”

“And I told you to save it. It’s not like it’s the first time that happens. Don’t come and act like you care now. “

Wally was about to protest, when out of nowhere, Damian came out and interrupted:

“ Hey, Robin. Come train with me.”

Dick sighed.

“Sure, I probably need it right now anyway. Later Wally.”

And he followed Damian out of the room, leaving a dumbfounded Wally behind him.

 

They got to the training room where Damian grabbed two staffs and threw one to Dick wordlessly. They started sparring, and obviously, Dick having his mind elsewhere, he took quite a beating.

“You’re awfully unfocused,” Damian stated matter-of-factly while helping him up after a particularly hard blow.

“I’m just not in my element today,” Dick shrugged.

“So I’ve noticed. Wanna talk about it?”

“I thought you weren’t into this talking about your feelings thing?”

“So did I, but apparently the past has a strange effect on me? So you want to or not?”

Dick hesitated, but finally decided it couldn’t hurt.

“Bruce is replacing me.”

To his surprise, Damian smiled slightly at that.

“So you know about Jason then. I thought you would be happy to have a new brother?”

“Not if he’s going to take the Robin mantle away from me!”

“Robin the Boy Wonder. You won’t stay a boy forever you know that right?”

“Doesn’t mean I’ll just give up what’s mine like that.”

He was pouting, he knew he was, but he couldn’t help it. Damian chuckled.

“You don’t have to give up anything, Dick.”

“That’s not what Bruce said.”

“That’s not what I mean. Think of it more as a graduation. You get to grow up, to evolve into something better. But it doesn’t mean the Robin mantle doesn’t belong to you anymore. You’ll always be a Robin, the first one. You created the mantle, you paved the way. But for the mantle to live on, you need to pass it on to someone else. Someone who will look up to you, who will see you as their role model, their hero. You’re not losing Robin, you’re creating a legacy. And you have no idea the impact you will have on the superhero world doing this.”

Thinking about it that way, it sure didn’t sound as bad as he’d thought, but he still wasn’t convinced.

“You make it sound so easy but… I just don’t know if I’m ready. It’s like Bruce is forcing me to grow up, forcing me out of my comfort zone, the thing that’s been there for me since my parents died. And… what does this mean for Bruce and me? Does this mean he won’t have time for me anymore? Most of our relationship is spent as Batman and Robin, if I’m not Robin anymore… I’m scared I’ll lose him too.”

“You won’t. Even if you’re not Robin, you’ll still be his son. Nothing can change that.”

Dick nodded slowly, skeptically. Damian put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes:

“Everything’s going to work out, I can promise you that.”

“I guess you’re right… I just… I’m not sure I really know who I am without Robin. I don’t know who I’m supposed to become.”

“That’s part of growing up isn’t it? Learning who you’re supposed to be. It’s hard for everybody, and it takes time. But you’ll get there I the end.”

“You’re only a few months older than me, yet you’re like, hundreds of years wiser. That’s unfair. How do you do it?”

“I had a great mentor.” Damian answered simply with another smile, mysterious this time.

Bart chose this moment to appear.

“Ah! There you are you two! I was looking for you everywhere! Are you doing okay Dickie? You seemed out of it earlier.”

“Yeah, I’m okay now, Damian helped a lot.”

“I’m sure he did,” Bart said giving Damian a big, radiant knowing smile to which he answered with a scowl. He hated the way Bart looked at him at that moment, it screamed ‘Aw soft Damian is adorable’.

“By the way Dickie,” Bart continued “I think your phone’s buzzing.”

Dick let out a long sigh.

“It’s probably a text from B, can you throw it to me?”

Bart did, and Dick checked his messages.

“Yeah, it was B. he’s telling me not to wait too long to come home cause apparently my uncle decided to visit out of the blue.”

Bart froze, his brain shutting down for a second, while Damian started trembling.

“Your… your uncle?” he asked in a small voice.

“Oh yeah that’s right, you probably know him! Uncle Jake! Haven’t seen him in a while so I’ll be happy to… are you okay? Damian, what’s wrong?”

Hearing that name, the one he hadn’t heard in years triggered something in Damian that broke him instantly. He couldn’t breathe or stand anymore and so he stumbled and fell, shaking violently. Bart snapped out of his frozen state instantly to be at his side and took him in his arms, rocking him back and forth while saying reassuring things in a soft voice. He turned to Dick for only a second to say:

“please go to the infirmary and find a sedative, he’s gonna need it.”

Dick, still shocked by what he had just witnessed, and wanting to ask a hundred question, still had the presence to listen to Bart and rand out of the room. Bart continued hisattempt at calming Damian down.

“it’s okay Dami, he can’t hurt you, he can never hurt you again you hear me?”

“he’s gonna be there, in the manor… he’s… he’s gonna…”

“he’s not going anywhere near you baby it’s okay, I’m here, I’ll protect you okay? I’ll always protect you.”

Damian couldn’t talk anymore, he was sobbing too hard, and Bart just continued rocking him. Dick was back pretty fast with a sedative and the rest of the team running after him, not really understanding what was happening. Bart gave Damian the sedative, then waited for him to fall asleep so he could carry him to the infirmary to put him to bed. The team was surprisingly respectful and let him do all of this without asking any questions. Once that was done, Kaldur informed him that Batman was on his way and that he would probably want to talk to him and Dick about what happened.

“ I can’t leave my brother alone right now. If he wakes up he’s going to need me.”

“well maybe you can give us a briefing of what happened and we can inform Batman for you?”

 

Bart grimaced.

“Can’t do that. I guess I’ll have to talk to Bats myself. He can’t be left alone though, someone needs to look after him.”

“I’ll do it” Kaldur offered helpfully.

But Bart knew this wasn’t a good idea. There was only one person other than him that Damian would feel comfortable around after this.

“Actually, Superboy, could you do it? Nothing against you Aqualad but I think this would be for the best. “

“Me? I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but your brother kind of hates me.”

“Trust me, you’re the best choice. Just… please be nice to him. He’s very vulnerable right now.”

“I… okay, I’ll stay with him I guess.”

“Thank you, Conner, really. It means a lot.”

Conner only nodded in response, not really knowing how to answer that. Artemis then entered the room.

 

“Ben? Robin? Batman just got hee, he’s waiting for you two in the control room. “

 

They both nodded and took their leave, but not before Bart gave his last instructions:

“If he wakes up and asks for me, please call me right away.”

“Got it.”

 

Then they were on their way. Dick waited til they were out of earshot to ask:

“ How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, I’m not the one who just had a panic attack.”

“But it affected you, I could see it. You know what caused it right?”

“I do.”

“Are you going to tell me? Are you going to tell Bruce?”

Bart thought of it for a second.

“When you think of time travel, do you picture something in the veins of Back to the future?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I’m asking cause, I often compare my experience with back to the future. I try to be careful so as to not disrupt the time-space continuum , try not to change things too much when it’s not an absolute necessity. But when you think about it, there’s no way time travel works the way this film does. If it was the case, I wouldn’t even exist anymore, which would be a paradox in itself cause how could I ever cause myself to fade out of existence if I never existed in the first place, and…”

“Bart. You’re rambling.”

“right… sorry. Old habit. What I’m trying to say is, I don’t think whatever I’m doing in the past has an effect on my own future. It’s like.. it’s like that superhero movie that won’t come out for another seven years for you. When you go to the past, it becomes your present, and the future becomes your past. So in theory no matter what I do in this timeline, it wont affect mine. It will just create an alternate reality or whatever. Now I can’t know if this reality is true, cause to test that theoryI would have had to go back to where Icame from in the first place to see if it was still… anyway so I didn’t do that. So I don’t know. But it’s possible, it’s even likely.”

“I don’t see where you’re going with this.”

“I just… I know it wouldn’t change what happened for us. But I just… I just wish I could do something to prevent certain… things from happening. I’ve been having a hard time notthinking about this the whole time I’ve been here but… now it’s even worse.”

“oh… well, it’s your choice isn’t it? You’re the one with all the infos. You’re the one who has to decide if you should share them or not. If you’re right and it can’t change your own timeline, you wouldn’t suffer the consequences anyway right? So you have a 50/50 chance of making this alternate timeline better.”

“Or I could make it worse. And that wouldn’t be fair to you or anyone else. Plus Damian would never let me do it if he was awake. He’d never let me risk time, especially not for him. But… I love him so much you know? He’s my family, and I would give the world to him. I could literally kill for him, hell I nearly did once. I know, it’s hard to believe” he added as he saw the surprised face Dick made, “but it’s true. Damian is… he’s just so precious. Not everyone sees it, and for those who do it usually takes time, but there’s no one quite like him. He’s so selfless, honorable and extremely kind to those who deserve it and earned his trust. Once he’s decided you’re worth it, he will remain loyal to you until his last breath. I always say that such a beautiful soul should never be allowed to get hurt. Yet he’s gotten hurt so many times. And that’s just so unfair, I wish I could do something, anything to prevent that. And the fact that I can’t… it’s difficult to live with.”

“And so you’re wondering if you could prevent it for our Damian. The one we haven’t met yet and you probably never will. “

“ I could do it so easily. I could save him from so many things if I just told Bruce. And not just him, so many other people I love: I could save all of you a lot of pain and heartache. But thos os something I shouldn’t do. I don’t have the right to do it. I’m just a human, and I have no say in how things are supposed to go.”

Dick looked at him in awe.

“You’re probably one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Not everyone would be able to think like you.”

“I’m far from being strong, trust me. I just know that it isn’t my place to interfere.”

“I see. So what are you going to tell Bruce?”

“The truth. Damian was triggered by something in his past, and he’s going to b just fine once he will have rested a bit. I’m sure he knows not to ask to much questions. “

“Will he though? Be fine I mean.”

“He will. I can promise you that. You say I’m strong, well Damian is ten times stronger. Nothing can keep him down.  Now let’s go, let’s not keep Bats waiting.”

 

 

 

 

_Entry 4 (part 2)_

 

I can’t change mine or Damian’s past. I’ll never be able to erase all the pain and suffering. But that doesn’t mean I can’t dedicate the rest of my life to making sure he’s safe and happy, and that’s a task I’ll gladly take.

Time runs its course, yo can’t hide from it or control it. But you can control what you do within this time. You can control the way your past affects your future. I’ll try to always remember that from now on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to everyone who's read the textfic, I'm sorry for making you relive this awful moment, and I'm also sorry cause it's not over lol.  
> Next chapter: even more angst and some fluff (hopefully).


	8. Heart To Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian the Wise is rising, and Conner is the Most Adorable™ .   
> Also, this slowly but surely brings back #DamianWayneProtectionSquadPresidentConnerKent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEEEEEEY!  
> So  
> after a long long while, I finally write about Superbird/ Supersons again. except it's not either of those lol. wrong sons. tough luck. but I love DamiKon Brotp nearly as much as I love Robpulse so yeah.  
> Enjoy this soft fest I made for you my children, I love this and I love you <3

When Damian woke up he felt like he was floating. His head was all clouded and his vision blurry. He couldn’t really make out where he was, he just knew it wasn’t his room.

He had no recollection of where he was or why, felt like he just woke up from a long dream. He suddenly noticed he wasn’t alone, that someone was sitting on a chair next to his bed. He couldn’t exactly make out their face, but the few details he could see a bit more clearly were really familiar, especially the eyes.

“Jon?” he said timidly, his voice soft and tired.

The other boy didn’t answer right away, but when he did, he just stated: “you’re awake.” In a deep voice that certainly didn’t belong to Jon.

Then it clicked in Damian’s brain. He was in the past, far from home, and this was not Jon, but Conner. He sighed.

“How long was I out?” he asked while trying to get up, but Conner stopped him with one hand.

“Only an hour or so, but you shouldn’t move too much, you’re still under the effects of the sedative.”

“I’ll be fine” Damian huffed, trying to get up again, and failing once more.

“You should really keep resting, you’ve caused your brother a lot of worry you know?”

Damn it, he’d almost forgotten about Bart. It was strange that he wasn’t here right now, he hoped he hadn’t gone to do something stupid.

“Where is he right now?”

“Batman wanted to talk to him and Robin about what happened. He didn’t want to leave youbut he thought it would be better if he explained himself. He said if you need him we just had to call him, I can do that if you want?”

“No, it’s alright, I’ll manage.”

Conner nodded, and silence fell. Damian was trying to recollect his thoughts and make sense of everything that had just happened, while keeping the anxiety that was threatening to resurface at bay. He was safe, he was okay, nothing could happen to him right now. He could see that Conner  was trying to hide his own curiosity, probably not wanting to overstep, which reminded Damian of the Conner from his own time, always respecting his privacy and letting him go his own pace, unless he thought it was too crucial not to be addressed.  Damian broke the silence:

“ I bet you’ve got a lot of questions huh?”

“Oh um… It’s alright, you don’t have to tell me anything, it’s none of my business.”

“you’re right,it’s not. But I guess, since we’re in the same team and everything, I can maybe try and answer a few of them.”

“You’re sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“If I don’t want to answer something I’ll just tell you I don’ want to. Go ahead.”

“Alright then… what caused you to freak out like that? “

“Let’s just say that something happened to me in my past, something pretty fucked up, and while I was talking with Robin he said something that just…. Took me back to that time. I usually deal pretty well with past trauma but this one… I had basically shut it away in the back of my memory and I hadn’t had to think about it for years so when it happened it took me by surprise I guess…”

“I see… you once told me your brother had lived a hard life, that he had a lot of demonS in his past. But you’re not much better are you?”

Damian let out a humorless laugh.

“No, I guess not. I’m just better at hiding it than he is. But I’m probably just as damaged as him.”

“… I’m sorry.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at that?

“Why are you sorry? It’s not like it’s your fault.”

“No I know that but… the things you told me about Megan’s power and how damaging they could be, you were right. I was not thinking objectively, I let my relationship with her cloud my judgement. You had every right to be pissed. I know I would have been, if I had been in your shoes. I mean, I’ve had to deal with mind control for the first six months of my life, I should have understood. I’m sorry it took me so long to get it.”

“ As long as you understand now, I won’t hold it against you. You just needed time to adjust, I get it.”

“I didn’t think you’d be this forgiving. You’re a true mystery, it’s hard to make out exactly what kind of person you are.”

 

If he wasn’t still so on edge, Damian would have laughed at that.

“People often think one of two things about me: either they think I’m the spawn of Satan himself out to conquer the world and bring chaos, or they just think I’m an alien who doesn’t understand how humanity work but still tries to pass as a human.”

“That’s… oddly specific. But I don’t think you’re either of those things.”

“You don’t?”

“No. Well, I mean I guess you could probably be the spawn of Satan, wouldn’t surprise me I mean, stranger things have happened. But I don’t think you’re evil or anything like that. You’re just, well… it’s like you wear a mask, and underneath this mask is another mask, and I don’t know how many I’d need to take off to truly get an idea of who you are.”

Huh. He’d never heard that theory before, but it did make sense in a way.

“Mask after mask after mask huh? I kind of like that image. You seem to have thought a lot about it.”

“Not really, it’s just that, sometimes you remind me of Robin.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah, a more extreme version of him I guess. And you know how Robin is pretty much always in costume, and when he’s not he wears his glasses. How he doesn’t reveal his secret identity to anyone except Wally. And don’t get me wrong, Robin is one of my best friend and he’ll always be, but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever truly know him.”

Damian stayed silent, not really knowing how to answer that. Conner continued:

“But yeah, basically you reminded me of him in that way and that’s what made me think of the mask thing. It’s probably why you get along so well.”

“Yeah, probably. Robin and I have a lot in common I think. Except… I wear masks because I’m not comfortable with my true self, not completely yet. Robin… I know he has a lot of secrets. That sometimes it must be frustrating to think he doesn’t trust you enough to tell them, but I don’t think that’s it. I don’t think there’s anything fabricated about the person he shows to you. I think he identifies with his Superhero persona completely, probably a lot more than with his civilian persona. If anything, I think he can only be himself when he’s with the team. If it wasn’t for Batman’s paranoia, he’d probably have told you his name by now, but really, does it truly matter?”

“No, I guess it doesn’t… you’re really wise.”

“What is it with all of you calling me wise today? “

“Well you are. Are you sure you’re only sixteen?”

“I am pretty sure that’s my age yes.”

Conner shrugged like he wasn’t convinced, then opened his mouth as if to say something, but seemed to change his mind. After a minute of hesitating, he finally asked:

“Who’s Jon?”

Damian was startled.

“Pardon?”

“Earlier, you called me Jon. I was just wondering who he was.”

“Oh, right, I did call you Jon didn’t I?”

“Uhuh.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Jon is… someone very dear to me. And you’re kind of alike in some ways. If I let myself be tricked I can almost see him in you sometimes. “

“I see… where is he right now?”

“Far, very far away.”

“And you miss him.”

“I do. But not for long. I’ll get back to him soon. “

“… You love him.”

Damian smiled weakly.

“That obvious huh?”

“Kind of. You know what I said about mask? When you talk about him, you don’t have any. “

“I don’t? Oh… I guess it makes sense. I never fear I have to be anything but myself when I’m with him.”

“It must be nice. To have someone you trust completely. Someone you can be vulnerable with.”

And for the first time in all the years he’d known him, Damian saw how lonely Conner could feel sometimes. Saw he wasn’t the only one wearing a mask. It couldn’t be easy to be seen as the strong, tough guy all the time. Superhuman strength didn’t mean he had a superhuman ability to deal with his feelings, doubts and fears. But when “Super” was on your name, you had to be the embodiment of strength and bravery at every turn.

Damian lifted himself up to be sat instead of lying down, then put his hand on Conner’s forearm, looking him straight in the eyes with a serious, earnest gaze:

“You will find someone like this one day too. It takes time, but you will, I’m sure of this.”

Conner looked at him surprised for a while, a bit confused by this sudden gesture, but he saw how certain and determined the other boy looked, like he knew for sure this would happen. And somehow, that gave him hope. Moved, he nodded, not really trusting himself to talk. Then the moment was interrupted by the return of Bart and Dick. As soon as he saw Damian awake, Bart ran to him:

“Dami! Oh my God baby are you okay?”

Conner frowned at the nickname. Dami? Damian facepalmed internally.

“I’m fine, _Ben_ ” he said pointedly with a reprobing stare while Dick was silently cackling “ I’m alright now. And stop calling me baby, if anything you’re the baby.”

Bart grimaced, sheepishly sending him an apologetic look, before continuing:

“Nuhuh you’re my baby and don’t you dare think otherwise!”

“I’m disowning you.”

“Is it always like this when you have a sibling?” Conner wondered out loud.

“Apparently so” Dick answered with a fond smile. “You guys seemed to get along quite well when we came in by the way. Are you finally over your feud?”

“I think so?” Conner said, uncertain.

“Of course we are” Damian brushed off “we’re totally good now. Plus he took good care of me so.”

“I knew I could count on you Connie!” Bart exclaimed while attacking the poor semi-kryptonian with a surprise-hug. The look of panic and confusion as to what to do on Conner’s face was priceless. It was like he wa screaming for help.

After a while, he decided to awkwardly hug back, which only made Bart squeeze him even tighter.

“You’re adorable” he said as he finally let go of him, pinching his cheek. “look at you not knowing how hugs work! I want to adopt you and wrap you in a blanket!”

“Leave the poor boy alone Ben, you’re going to scare him to death.”

“Yeah I agree with Danny, he looks like he’s gonna pass out any second.”

“You’re just jealous cause he’s my new favorite!”

“I uh… I’m you favorite?”

“Of course you are Connie boy! So adorable, look at him!”

Conner looked more and more embarrassed by the second, and Damian could swear he was blushing. He exchanged a look with Dick who looked like Christmas came early and would probably never stop teasing Conner about this. Damian decided to put him out of his misery.

“ Well, I don’t know about you guys but I’m starving. And I think I can finally move now.”

“Oooooh let’s go out to eat then! I’m craving chicken! Connie, Robs, you’re coming with us! My treat! Non negociable?”

“uh… are you sure? I don’t want to impose…” Conner asked timidly.

“I said non negociable, get with the program SuperCute!”

“Oh God Not you too!” Dick groaned “First Wally calling him SuperHot, now this.”

“SuperCute is better, cause he’s adorable. Now come on let’s go, if I don’t eat soon I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

 And so they went on their way, their worries left behind them for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. CANT.HANDLE. KON. BEING CUTE.   
> Next chapter: Speedster Showdown aaaaaaye


	9. My Friends Won't Love Me Like You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birdflash figuring things out featuring litteral Angel and best role model Bart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I have a lot of things to say  
> first, title is a lyric from "Friends" by Ed Sheeran, old readers of mine will know exactly why lol.  
> Second, this took me years to write cause life was getting in the way but IT'S FINALLY HERE  
> THird, this chapter is dedicated to Marjorie Durant, aka my sim who tragically died electrocuted today when I took a break from writing for like five minutes. I'm so pissed, all she wanted was to repare those freaking speakers ! she had two children like, what are Margaret and Robyn (yes, Robyn, I actually randomized the name lol) (edit, I actually remembered that I did randomize Conor's name too lol) going to do without their mother? Markus is not gonna be able to take care of them he can barely take care of himslf! I guess they still have uncle Conor (this one I didn't randomize lol) but like, wtf Grim Reaper?  
> But yeah, ths was a tragic day in the Durant household and I'm devastated. RIP Marjorie, you will be missed.  
> Enjoy the chapter my babies! xxx

Wally was pissed. Actually, he was livid. He’d been trying to talk one on one with Dick for days now, but the younger was deliberately ignoring him. He wasn’t even trying to be subtle anymore, everyone had noticed. Kaldur had even berated him and told him to fix it, assuming it was all his fault when he had been trying!

So here he was again, chasing after Dick for the better part of his day. Artemis had actually started getting mad at him about that, saying that he couldn’t just drop her like that just because Robin was being a child. Everything was starting to get too much honestly.

They had just finished a pretty easy mission and everyone was in a great mood. Since it was still early, they had the rest of the day off. Wally thought that if he could intercept Dick before he left, he might be able to finally have a talk with him, and so he went on his way .

He found Dick pretty quickly, but unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. Ben Porter was with him. he saw red.

From the very beginning, he had had a hard time liking this guy. A speedster who came out of nowhere, kicked his ass in their first meeting, was considerably faster than him and knew who Alfred was? This guy was coming for his brand.

And even worse, Dick had taken an instant liking to the older speedster. Well to be fair, he had a pretty good relationship with both the Porter brothers, but with Ben… it felt to Wally as if Dick was trying to replace him with an older, improved version of him. Everything about Ben was better than Wally; he was better –looking, more likeable, more mature, kinder, etc. it really felt like someone had taken everything Wally dreamed of becoming one day and put it on this guy. And he had to show up when things between Dick and him were rocky, how was he supposed to fix things if Dick had his replacement already waiting in line?

So yeah, he knew he was totally jealous and that it was petty and immature, but Dick was his best friend and the idea of losing him for that guy was pretty terrifying, so he couldn’t control his own pettiness.

He stood in their way with a scowl on his face, and Ben just smiled back at him and said:

“Oh hi Wally! Can we do something for you?”

“Actually, I was hoping to speak with Rob’ “ Wally answered curtly while looking straight at Dick who just looked at his nails as if he was bored before answering:

“Can’t, Benny and I have plans. Some other time.”

“Robin, it’s been days, please just…”

“I told you, I don’t have time for you right now.”

And, okay, ouch, that stung. He knew he kind of deserved it, but it didn’t hurt any less knowing so. He just sighed, his shoulders dropping, wondering if he should already give up or not, when Ben interrupted:

“Actually, we were gonna try that Diner not so far from the HQ, we heard it was the best in Happy Harbor. Why don’t you join us? You must be starving after the mission like me, with our speedster’s metabolism and everything. It’s my treat.”

Wally could see Dick glaring daggers at Ben who remained completely unbothered, still smiling brightly at Wally who was completely shocked and felt a small urge to actually hg the guy for some reason. he awkwardly scratched his neck and responded:

“ I don’t know, I mean I don’t want to intrude on your time together…”

“Nonsense! The more the merrier! Right Dickie?”

Dick looked just about ready for murder, before addressing an obviously fake and dangerous smile to Ben:

“Sure Benny, if you say so!”

Wally, still not sure it was the best course of action, addressed Dick in a timid voice:

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Dick’s face got softer seeing Wally so unsure, and he just sighed and said:

“If Ben says you can come then that’s fine by me.”

“See? Now  let’s go kids!” Ben added while getting in the middle of them and putting his arms around their shoulders.

 

Their time in the diner was far less awkward than it could have been. Dick did try to act as cold as he could towards Wally, but his heart wasn’t in it, and something about Ben seemed to force him to be cheerful no matter what.

Wally had to admit that Ben was pretty amazing. He seemed to have an unlimited amount of energy and happiness, and it was infectious. It didn’t really help Wally’s jealousy of course, especially since he was extremely close to Dick, even more than he had imagined. Those two had so many inside jokes and seemed to understand each other without even trying.

But even though he could have easily just ignored Wally, he was making sure he participated in the conversation and was as comfortable as possible. He also seemed to know all of Wally’s interests which was super weird since they’d never hung out before, but he figured he must have learnt them from Dick.

At one point, Dick excused himself to go to the bathroom,  and Ben took this opportunity to kind of berate Wally, but in a nice way:

“You know, you’re pretty terrible at this. I mean, I gave you all the cards to be able to make Dick forgive you more easily, but you’re letting me do all the work.”

“You’ve seen how stubborn he is! There’s nothing I can do if he refuses to let me apologize!”

“Please, I know for a fact you’re just as stubborn as him! he’s your best friend, he deserves that you put efforts in this.”

“I know.. I just… no matter what I do, someone will end up being mad at me.”

“What do you mean?”

“ever since I started trying to get Dick to talk to me again, Artemis has been more and more pissed at me. She says I’m leaving her behind.”

 

Wally saw annoyance flash through Ben’s eyes for a second, before he just sighed.

“Listen, I get it, she’s your girlfriend, probably even the first one you’ve ever had right? And you’re trying to make it work, you really want things to work out because you genuinely like her. I can understand that, and so can Dick. He’s actually been pretty understanding for a long time, but he’s reach his breaking point when you started completely ghosting him. and now, Artemis is the one that’s got to understand. She must understand the relationship you have with Dick, that you’re not just “best bros”, you’re more than that. You’ve been there for each other for longer than she’s known either of you. you’ve been through a lot together that she can’t understand. So she needs to acknowledge it and accept it, because you’re obviously doing a lot of sacrifices for her, and if she wants the relationship to work as much as you do, she will do the same for you. you don’t have to always be the one to compromise Wally, you do know that right?”

“I guess but… everyone knows Arty’s too good for me. I can’t help but feel like if I do anything wrong, she’ll dump me instantly and I won’t have anyone to blame but myself, and then everyone will tell me ‘I told you so’ , and oh my God what if  the break up is bad and everyone takes her side and I end up having to leave the team and then…”

“Walls, breathe okay? None of that is going to happen. First of all, Artemis is not too good for you. In my honest opinion both of you are still stupid immature kids who have no idea what they’re doing, because you haven’t experienced enough yet. You’re both insecured, and it causes you to forget about the important things and people in your life, and Artemis to act like an entitled Brat. You both need to grow up. But you’re also good people, you’re going to overcome this.”

“…I guess…”

“Now going back to what you said about everyone leaving you, because that’s a fear I know all too well, have more faith in your team. They would never cast you aside because of something as stupid as a break up. And even if somehow that happened, which It won’t, you know who would never desert you? who would always be by your side no matter what? Dickie. Even now that he’s pissed at you, if you really needed him he’d come running. Because that’s how you two have always been and always will be. But sometimes, you both forget it. He’s forgotten it right now, and he needs you, he actually needs his best friend desperately. A lot of things are happening in his life and you’re the one he wants to talk to about it.”

Wally frowned;

“he doesn’t really need me since he has you…”

Ben looked at him with big rounded eyes, than he started laughing hysterically:

“OH MY GOD! I ANT BELIEVE IT! YOU’RE JEALOUS OF ME! ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW WALLACE OH DEAR THIS IS GOLD !”

Wally blushed profoundly, absolutely embarrassed and not really understanding what was so funny. He tried to denie it but he wasn’t really convincing. When Ben finally calmed down, he said with another one of his bright smiles:

“Dickie and I are really close that’s true. He’s been talking to me a lot because I can relate with a lot of what he’s going through and so does my brother. But in no way is he ever going to make me your replacement. You don’t have to feel threatened by me Wally, I’m not your enemy. If anything, you and I should be friends with all that we have in common!”

“I know it’s stupid… I actually think I would love being your friend but… you’re so much better than me. At everything. Like you know in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, when Ron is I  front of the Mirror of Erised and he sees an older version of himself that is exactly what he dreams of becoming? Well that’s exactly what I feel when I see you, and I know I’ll never get to be like you and… it would be easier if I could hate you honestly.” He added while looking down on his food.

He didn’t see the pure look of heartbreak in the older’s eyes as he realized that the man who had always been his role model and had inspired him to become who he was today was so full of self hatred and insecurities, not unlike what he had been at the same age.

“ You’re right. You’re never going to be like me. But you’re going to be better than that, you’re going to be you. the best version of you. Every step you take brings you closer to that person. And Dick doesn’t want you to become me. he likes you, he trusts you, for all that you are and will be. So again, I am not going to be your replacement. Actually that’s offensive, I’m my own person thank you! Now I know what Tim felt…”

“Who’s Tim?”

“Oh crap, spoilers! Okay listen, Dick’s coming back right now, I’m going to say I need to call my baby bro, whichI don’t but I love having an excuse to call him whenever, I love my brother, anyway, while I’m gone, you get this apology going. You make him listen to you until the end. And please don’t say anything stupid, cause I swear to God if I have to buy you food everytime you try to apologize I’m gonna go broke . got it?”

“I uh… I guess but…”

“Great! Hey Dickie, Have to make a quick phone call to check if the baby’s still alive and if he’s killed Kon yet or not! Be right back, you guys have a sundae while I’m gone and behave!”

And he quickly left after ruffling the hair of an indignant Dick who then slumped down on the chair , looked at Wally with tired eyes and said:

“Well, I guess I can’t run away from it anymore, since Ben is making sure we have a talk. So, I’m listening, what do you have to say.”

 

And honestly, he didn’t really know anymore. He’d spent so long trying to get Dick to listen, without ever realizing that he had no idea what to say. He decided to wing it:

“I’m a huge asshole.”

Dick chuckled at that:

“Well, that’s not how I thought you would start things off but I guess it’s one way to do it!”

“I thought starting off with obvious facts was the best course of action. No but seriously Dickie, I know I’ve treated ou like shit for months now, and you don’t deserve that. You deserve so much better. I’m a shit friend. The thing is… I was so scared of being a bad boyfriend, that I tried to put all my energy into becoming the best one possible, and let me tell you, it’s exhausting and most of the time not that fun. And to be honest, I’ve missed you like crazy, even though it took me a long time to realize. So, I’m really sorry, event though I know sorry doesn’t cut it. I can’t promise I won’t ever screw up again, cause you know me, but I promise I will do everything In my power to make sure you never have to feel deserted again. I didn’t have my priorities straight, but I do now. No matter what happens, you and I, we’re a team, and I won’t be able to keep going without you, also I don’t want to. So, yeah, I’m sorry, I miss you and I love you.”

Dick’s eyes were shining suspiciously, but Wally didn’t comment on it. He waited until he felt comfortable to talk.

“I forgive you Walls, and I missed you too. I understand that you have to share your time now, I won’t hold it against you, just… as long as you don’t forget abut me again. As long s I get to have my time with you . that’s all I’m asking.”

“I promise, I won’t miss any more of our hang outs!”

“I trust you. oh and Walls?”

“yes?”

 

Dick seemed hesitant for a second, biting his lip, then looked him In the eyes and said softly:

“I love you too…”

Wally didn’t understand why Dick looked so heartbroken saying that, but he felt the need to hug him to make the pain go away and so he did.  They were still hugging when Ben came back, still on the phone with his brother:

“…’m just saying, you would look extra cute with pink hair that’s all! No need to get defensive! Okay you know what? I don’tneed this kind of negativity right now, so I’ll hang up and let you think about your life choices! Give Kon a big kiss on the cheek for me will you? kay kay bye honey! “

Wally looked at him confused while Dick started giggling.

“You’re still on about having him dye his hair pink huh?”

“He would look adorable you have to admit it! And oh my God Jon would literally die when we come back, I think he’d propose instantly!”

“Who’s Jon?” Wally asked this time.

“Damn it! I hate this! How did I even manage the firsttime around? I can’t shut up for five seconds!”

“You’re hopeless. Jon is Dam.. Danny’s boyfriend, Walls.”

“Boyfriend?” Wally asked surprised, “He’s gay?”

“I mean, I’m not exactly sure about his exact sexuality” Ben pondered, “but he’s not straight, that’s for sure.”

“Why” Dick questioned, tensing, “do you have a problem with it?”

“What? No! Of course not what the hell? No I just wouldn’t have guessed that’s all.”

Dick relaxed, and Ben sent him a questioning look, but he just shook his head. Wally was really starting to feel clueless, but they quickly changed the subject.

 

He sensed there was a lot of things he’d have to talk about with Dick, but that could wait for tomorrow, for now, they were just happy to spend time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bart is a disaster honestly, but also I lowkey wanna see Dami with pink hair.  
> Also, I actually wanted Dickie to make his coming out in this chapter, but there is one person who I think he would do it to first, and I'm pretty sure you'd all agree with me...  
> Next Chapter: you know her, you love her, the Red Fury is back


	10. True Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's a brat but Damian loves him a whole lot. Babs is a queen and deserves everything I own (which, admittedly, isn't a lot but still).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Wow, this was a process. I started writing this chapter like, four days ago or something? And it was a struggle so I stopped and came back to it today. I am conflicted, I think a lot of transitions could have been smoother, but otherwise I think I did an okay job? I don't know I'm the worst at auto evaluation.   
> Anyway enjoy ! xxx

_Damian’s POV_

Damian hadn’t gone back to the manor since the day of his chat with his father. He’d figured with Jason’s arrival, the last thing they needed was the fourth brother from the future hanging around (not that they knew he was the fourth, that’s one thing he had been able to keep Bart from spilling for now, although there had been close calls.)

But that day, Dick had insisted for him to come home with him, saying he really needed his help with Jason.

 I just don’t get him Dams! I’m trying I swear but he’s just so… I think he hates me.”

Damian really wanted to answer ‘of course he does you’re unbearable.’ But he thought it wasn’t exactly the time to tease his elder/little brother.

“He doesn’t hate you Dickie, he’s just still a bit wary of everyone. It’s not that easy to enter an already established family. He probably never imagined having a brother one day, and especially not an older one. It takes time getting used to.”

“I guess… but still, you know him, you’ll know how to talk to him.”

Damian frowned, not knowing how to explain it without revealing too much.

“The Jason I know… he’s been through a lot this one hasn’t yet. This has changed him. I have no idea how he was before… anyway. I never met this version of him. “

“you still know him more than I do! Come on please I need your help, pleaaaase?”

“Ugh, fine! But don’t say I didn’t warn you when it doesn’t work.”

 

And so here they were , at the manor, ready to face their brother. Damian had to admit he was more nervous than he thought he would be. People always commented on how similar young Jason and his younger self had been, and this wasn’t really a good thing in his opinion. But he’d have to go through it nonetheless.

They quickly said hello to Alfred and enquired about Jason’s whereabouts. He told them he was in his room, and so they got upstairs and knocked on his door, to which he answered with a grunt that could rival even Bruce’s. Dick opened the door timidly and cleared his throat, awkwardly declaring:

“um… hi Jason. I uh… I just wanted you to meet someone. His name is… Damian,” he said after checking with the older teen if it was okay to use his real name, “and he’s part of the fam, kinda, sorta, so….yeah.”

 

Jason, who was lying down on his bed and staring at the ceiling while throwing a bouncy ball in the air, got up to come face the two older boys. He didn’t really acknowledge Dick and just stared at Damian for a second, an unreadable look on his face. Then, he scrunched his nose and said:

“You look exactly like Bruce.”

Damian felt a bit offended by that, he liked to think he wasn’t a carbon copy of his father, but decided to not pick a fight.

“Do I now?”

“Yeah, you do. Which is probably normal since you’re his son from the future. “

Dick’s eyes went big and his jaw dropped, but Damian just smirked.

“You know, I would tell you spying on your guardian is bad, but I know it wouldn’t make any difference.”

“Not really spying if I happen to walk by while they speak about secrets and stuff.” Jason shrugged while still examining Damian with his eyes. “So, future boy. Does that mean I get to know my destiny now?”

“Not a chance no.”

“Heh, worth a try. It’s strange, you don’t seem to hate me. I figured by the time you would be in the picture, I would have already made the whole fam despise me.”

“We would never despise you!” Dick denied indignantly.

Jason looked at him for the first time, slightly surprised at his outburst, but quickly regaining contenance:

“Fine, maybe you wouldn’t since you’re so perfect. But give it a few years and you won’t want to have anything to do with me anyway. It’s how it always ends. “

Dick wanted to answer but was at loss for words. Damian came to the rescue.

“You do try to push everyone away. You try very hard to be hated. But the thing is, brother, we can see right through you. You ain’t that slick. And you’re going to learn in no time that in this family, everyone is just as stubborn as you, so don’t count on them abandoning you. “

This time, it was Jason’s turn to be silent. He probably thought he was going to have the upper hand in this conversation by being a little shit. Unfortunately for him, as much of a little shit as he was, he couldn’t compare to the one who had once been refered pretty universally as “Demon”. )he still try to take control back though:

“You called me brother.”

“I did.”

“I’m not your brother.”

“Of course you are.”

“Why? Just because your rich daddy took pity on me and decided to make me his new pet project?”

“No, because I chose to see you as one. Because you’ve been there for me ina way only family is more than once. Because you care about me, even though you like to pretend you don’t. And   I care about you. So does Grayson over here, he’s just a bit to awkward and emo to function right now, but I promise you he’s a good brother. And a great ally to have against Bruce.”

Jason seemed to think it over, and turned to look at Dick who looked like a deer caught in a headlight, but also earnest, sincere and really willing to try his best, to be his best. Jason finally shrugged again:

“II guess it couldn’t hurt to have a brother or two. But If you think I’m gonna get easier to live with all of a sudden you’re wrong. You want me to appreciate you and be nice, you gotta earn it. I don’t trust people just because.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to” Dick answered with a tentative smile. “We were gonna play video games, you wanna join us?”

“I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to annihilate you so sure.”

And so the three boys relocated to the living room to play under the discreet but proud gaze of Bruce in the background. Jason still tried to get a rise out of the other two, but it was a lot less vicious and more in good fun than it could have been. And to be honest, it actually made Damian feel fond of this younger version of his brother. His annoying, bratty ways were strangely endearing to him.

An hour or two later, Alfred came in with Barbara in toe. Damian felt conflicted when he had to lie about who he was, but she had just recently learned about Bruce and Dick being Batman and Robin and wasn’t even Batgirl yet, she didn’t need another secret. Dick lit up as he saw her friend:

“Babs! I didn’t know you were coming! What brings you here?”

“Actually, I just wanted to catch up with you. We haven’t had a real chat in ages it seems. But you look busy so I’ll just see you at school I guess…”

“No, you two should go have a chat,” Damian intervened, “Dick was losing anyway so him leaving the game will make the fight more interesting .”

“I was not losing!” Dick denied vehemently.

“Bro, you totally were though.” Jason answered with a snort.

“Just go be with your friend Dick, Jason and I will be fine for a while without you. “

Dick nodded and he and Barbara got out of the room. Once they were gone, Jason asked :

“ so like, Is she his girlfriend or something?”

Damian laughed.

“Might be, one day. But it’s not meant to last trust me, she’s more of a sister than anything else. But one thing about Dick is that he really does have a thing for redheads.”

“huh. Can’t blame him really. Redheads are great. Not that hair color is the most important but yeah.”

“hm, if you say so. I’m more into brunets myself. Now come on, let’s continue, I need to finish beating you.”

“You wish you could beat me Babybats!”

 

 

_Dick’s POV_

Dick was really happy to see Barbara. They hadn’t really been able to hang out a lot these past few weeks outside of school, and even then they were rarely together. However, he knew Barbara, and she wouldn’t come here unannounced without any reason. He also knew it was better to let her approach the subject and and think she was being subtle than to try and know what she wanted outright.

They sat on Dick’s bed and he waited for her to start the conversation which she did quickly:

“Soooooo… that guy, Danny Porter you said? He’s one of the two new heroes in your team right? Redbird?”

“Yup, that’s him.”

“huh. He’s cute.”

“Don’t even think about it Barbara Gordon!”

“What, I’m just saying he’s objectively attractive! Can’t I state that without having any ulterior motives?”

Dick wasn’t convinced but didn’t say anything, just looked at her suspiciously.

“Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t come all this way to talk about Danny.”

“No, not really. I actually wanted to check on you.”

“To check on me? Why?”

“Please Dickie, do you really think I’m stupid? I’ve seen how some things has been bothering you for a while now. You’ve been acting strange for month, and you smile a lot less. It’s gotten a bit better the past few days but there’s still something bothering you, I can feel it.”

“oh…”

“Yeah, oh. Now, I understand if you don’t want to tell me. But I just want you to know I’m here for you okay? Just like I told you when you told me you were Robin, I’m on your corner, always. You can always rely on me, I’ll be there to support you in your time of needs, just like you’re always there when I need you to be. So, if you feel like you want to talk, well, I’m here now. And if not now, whenever you’re ready really. “

Dick swallowed hard. He ahdn’t planned on doing this right now, but somehow, he felt like it was the right moment.

“Actuallly, now would be a pretty good idea.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Just… I hope this doesn’t change anything between us cause I… I really don’t want to lose you, you’re far too important to me and I…”

“You’re not losing me Dickie, I can promise you that much. You’re stuck with me forever.”

“I… I hope you’re right… just… shit, this is harder tha I thought…”

“Just, take your time. I don’t have anywhere to be anyway.”

“Right… well… the thing is… like…. You know how I like girls, like, a lot?”

“I am aware of your attraction towards the opposite sex yes?”

“Well… you see… actually… like don’t get me wrong I still really like girls, girls are great, love them, and all that but… I also like boys… like… a whole lot.”

“…ah.”

“….yeah so… basically, what I’m trying to say is that I’m… bisexual? Wait no why does it sound like a question, I’m not asking for permission what’s wrong with me. I’m bisexual. Yeah. That’s it. “

He waited to see Barbara’s reaction, fearing for the worst and at least expecting a bit of shock, but she just smiled kindly and said:

“Okay.”

“w…okay? Just like that?”

“Well, yeah, what do you want me to say? You told me you like boys, well so do I, and at least half of the world’s population. Was I supposed to find it shocking?”

Dick just looked at her gobsmacked, not knowing what to say.

“I don’t care whether you’re straight, gay, bi, pan, or anything else. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re my best friend and I love you. I might not have known before, but you were always this way. So the fact that you’re now telling me is not going to make me turn the other way. If anything, you being able to say it and to live yout truth just makes me proud and happy. I’m proud of you Dickie, and I’m glad to have you in my life.”

And honestly, he hadn’t realized how much he had needed to hear that, and from Barbara nonetheless. He just started crying , falling into Barbara’s arms as she tried to soothe him a little.

“I love you so much Babs, you have no idea… I… I don’t know how I got lucky enough to have you in my life…”

“It’s not luck, you’ve earned it pumpkin.”

It took a few more minutes for Dick to calm down, and when he finally did, he still didn’t stop snuggling close to Barbara who didn’t seem to have anything against it. She however tried to start the conversation back up.

“So, does this mean there’s something more going on between you and Danny boy?”

Dick looked at her horrified.

“Ew! Ew ew ew that’s disgusting Babs he’s literally like a brother! That’s just wrong on so many levels!”

“okay I get it sorry for assuming! So there’s no one, boy or girls?”

Dick hesitated for a while.

“There might be… someone… but it’s not going anywhere any time soon, probably never actually.”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“First of all he’s straight.”

“You were straight fifteen minutes ago.”

“No I wasn’t”

“You know what I mean, you can never assume.”

“Even if he wasn’t, he has a girlfriend so yeah.”

“I see. Am I gonna get a name? “

“It’s more fun if you guess.”

“You’re terrible. Well let’s see. It’s obviously not someone from our school, I would have noticed. Plus you put on an act for most of the people there and you wouldn’t fall for someone you can’t be genuine with. So I assume it’s someone in the Superhero business?”

“Might be.”

“Right. I think I can narrow it down to the members of your team, and I’m pretty sure it’s not Aqualad.”

“It could be, Kaldur’s hot.”

“Oh that I agree with, that guy is literally perfect. But from what you told me about your relationship I don’t see you having those kind of feelings for him.”

“Hm true. Continue your analysis.”

“Right. So I think it’s between Superboy and Kid Flash. And it fits. You’re close to both of them, they both have girlfriends and are presumably straight _(A/N: lol as if)_ and I could see you in a relationship with either of them to be honest.”

Dick thought about it, and what Barbara was saying kind of made sense. But somehow, imagining himself with Conner didn’t feel right. It was just slightly off, but enough to weird him out.

“Interesting. So how are you going to choose the right one between the two?”

“Well, now that I think about it, it seems really obvious. I didn’t see it before because I didn’t know where to look, and also because I haven’t spent much time observing you with your superhero friends. So I only get glimpses of your relationships from what you’ve told me over the years. But… all you’ve said about Wally, it’s always been so… fond, for lack of a better word. You always have this tone, that you use only for him, and that look in your eyes. And I always just thought that it was because somehow, you two were just… connected. That you were meant to be in each other’s life. But I didn’t realize that maybe it went even deeper than that… but now everything makes sense. It’s him isn’t it? And it’s been him for a while?”

“It has… probably always has been… but I’m not the one for him, Arty is.”

“maybe… have you told him? Not about your feelings of course but…”

“No. you’re the first one I’ve told. It’s actually the first time I say the words out loud.”

“Oh… are you planning on doing it?”

“I don’t know… I used to be too scared but… I guess I might. I don’t know when though. “

“It’s okay. There’s no rush. It’s yours to decide. But for what it’s worth, I think he won’t mind.”

“Yeah, probably not…”

“Okay, let’s stop being serious now! Unless you have anything else you want to add?”

“No, I think I’m good.”

“okay, then I want updates on your fabulous superhero life! Tell me everything Robin’s been up to!”

 

Dick sighed but obliged, happy to have this time with Barbara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo Dick is out? to one person I know it doesn't seem like a lot but it's a start at least! don't worry Wally and the team will get to know soon.   
> Next Chapter: Bart-centric  
> (Hint: I really love the book "Simon Vs the Homosapiens Agenda". especially the character who likes to be called "Blue")


	11. Come On Baby Won't You Hold On To Me (Blue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out they're not the ones messing with time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.  
> First of all, I'm sorry. I've been MIA for too long.  
> Life's been pretty much shit for the past month, and I didn't have the inspiration nor the energy to write anymore. When I wanted to, no words would come out.  
> But I finally did it. I'll admit that this is not at all the result I had envisioned when I started writing this chapter. this was supposed to be pure fluff but since fluff didn't want to happen, well... somehow the plot decided to strike back and not gonna lie, the rest of the plot for the whole fic has changed drastically in my mind.  
> So.  
> I hope you like it, and you're interested in uncovering the mysteries with me...

_Bart’s Journal, Entry 5_

 

Something strange is happening. I keep getting close calls of meeting people from the future I shouldn’t meet this week. Most of them are pretty inconsequential, but just today, I happened to be on mission in the same area where Tim goes to school, and even weirder, I had to get him out of the way of an attack. I saved his life. How does that even make sense? He couldn’t have died right there in theory. Unless our very presence in this timeline is enough to disrupt what was supposed to happen slightly… Gosh this gives me a headache.

Anyway, meeting an 11 year old Tim was actually very interesting. He didn’t seem very phased by the danger, which didn’t surprise me to be honest. He did have a lot of questions about me, my powers and everything. Again, not surprising. I had to buy him Ice cream to get him to shut up. It’s usually the other way around, so that was fun.  I just hope he won’t try to track me down cause I can’t handle anymore Robins right now, especially now that Jason is in the picture.

It’s really suspicious how no matter what I do to avoid meeting people I know, I still end up having to deal with them. And if it escalated to Tim now, who knows who’s next….

Well, I think I do know who’s next, the question is am I ready for that…

 

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

With all those strange encounters happening, Bart was starting to think that woman who had sent them here was playing with him. Yet, she still hadn’t reappeared, so he couldn’t tell if his suspicions were right or not, but it seemed to strange for her not to have something to do with it.

He thought about telling Damian about it, but he would probably panic and rant about the space-time continuum again and how they needed to hunt the woman down to stop her evil plans.

Except, nothing she had done so far had been evil. Sure, it wasn’t exactly nice to send them in the past without any way to go back, but she had made sure they wouldn’t be needing anything, and hadn’t done anything to hurt them since. Bart felt like she was actually trying to give them a gift in her own twisted way. It was clear she knew them and somehow, he felt like she cared for them in a way. But the fact that she still hadn’t reappeared after months was weird and unexplainable.

 

Knowing he wouldn’t solve this mystery right now, he decided to forget about it for the rest of the day and to go out to change his mind.

He was alone for the day, Damian having once again decided to spend time with his brothers, determined to help Jason feel more integrated into the family. Bart didn’t mind, he  actually appreciated having some time for himself as long as he knew Damian didn’t require his attention.

That was something he didn’t get to do a lot back in their time. Spending time alone. For a long time, he was too scared to even dare being alone with his thoughts for more than five minutes. And since everyone around him seemed to think he needed constant attention and care, he was rarely left alone, if ever. But now that he was in a mostly good state of mind , it had started to get a bit suffocating. He hadn’t said anything of course, the last thing he wanted was to be ungrateful, but sometimes he wished he could just spend one day without having to overly socialize.

Being here was a blessing for that. He’d had all the time in the world to walk around by himself without a care in the world, to sit for hours on a beach with a book or just with some music to clear his head, to just take time to, well, relax. Something he never thought he would ever like to do, being a speedster and all, but he figured out that with how hectic his life had been for, well, ever, he had actually never taken the time to properly rest before, and so instead of being boring, being able to clear his head of all thoughts and just be was actually nice under the right circumstances.

 

He had only been out for fifteen minutes, casually walking around Happy Harbor, when he suddenly had a gut feeling that something wrong was about to happen. And just in time, he received a text. He didn’t recognize the number, which made  him frown since this was a highly secured line. He then opened the text, which read:

“ _There are no such things as coincidences. Get your ass to El Paso right now, he needs you. -H”_

All colors were drained out of Bart’s face. He knew exactly who “he” was, and somehow he knew the situation was deathly serious. Without even thinking about it, without taking the time to worry about the timeline, he sprinted to Texas at the speed of light. 

It took him less than thirty seconds to locate him. He was standing against a wall, paralyzed with fear. He looked so small and vulnerable, which he was after all, he was just a child. Around him were four guys, all significantly older but probably still in their late teens. They also were armed with knives, which made Bart see red.  He tried to keep his cool for the poor boy’s sake, and cleared his throat before saying in the biggest, most imperious voice he could muster:

“What the hell do you shitheads think you’re doing exactly?”

They all turned to face him. He hadn’t bothered putting his costume on, and was just wearibg a black hoodie so he didn’t look menacing at all, he was aware of that. But that was to his advantage. One of the  aggressors who seemed to be the leader, looked at him in what he supposed was meant to be a menacing way and said:

“None of your fucking business dude, do yourself a favor and get out of here and forget about what you saw.”

Bart let out a humorless laugh.

“Sure, I’m just gonna go and let you potentially kill a kid. Now I’m only gonna tell you this once. You step away from him, and you leave right now, or I swear to God you’ll regret the day you were put on this Earth.”

They all looked at him like he was crazy, than at each other before shrugging. The leader made a sign to two of his underlings for them to take care of Bart. They both charged at him, which was the excuse he needed to retaliate without feeling guilty. And maybe it hadn’t been necessary to break one of the guy’s arms , or to live a huge bruise on the other one’s face, but sue him, he was pissed.  He then started walking towards the third guy who, far less confidently than his two companions, tried to charge him also, to similar results. The leader, panicking, decided to grab his victim and put a knife to his throat. Wrong move.

“Don’t come closer!” he screamed, completely unhinged, “Don’t move or I slit his throat, you hear me? Don’t think I won’t do it! I…”

He didn’t have time to finish, because Bart didn’t take any chance and used his speed to disarm him and throw him against the wall, rendering him unconscious.  He then focus his attention on the terrified, panicking child. He made a move to approach him, but that made the kid flinch, and so he stopped and tried to appease him from where he was standing:

“Hey, hey, it’s okay now, you’re okay, they can’t hurt you anymore. I’ll protect you alright?”

This didn’t seem to calm him. Bart sighed and took his hood off:

“I know you’re scared, but I swear I won’t do anything to hurt you. Can I come closer?”

He hesitated, but finally nodded positively. Bart came to face him and crouched down so he could look at him. This was such a strange experience, seeing the oh so familiar face on a child’s body, seeing those eyes he knew so well that didn’t know him yet and were full of worry and distress. He gulped, before continuing.

“You probably don’t trust me right now, and I don’ blame you, but I promise I only want to help. My name’s Ben Porter, can you tell me yours?” he asked as if he didn’t know already.

“I… Jaime… My name’s Jaime Reyes.”

Bart smiled his kindest, most affectionate smile, partly to reassure Jaime, and partly  as a reflex.

“It’s nice to meet you Jaime. Do you have any idea why those guys were after you?”

“I.. I don’t know… th..they showed up in front of my school, I had never seen them before but I didn’t think anything of it… but then I felt like they were following me and I didn’t really understand but I… I knew something wasn’t right so I t… tried to run to lose them but they ran after me and then I ended up in this ally and they took out their knives and… I thought they were gonna kill me I…”

Jaime started crying violently, and Bart couldn’t help but take him in his arms to try and soothe him.

“ it’s okay Cariño, you’re safe now, I won’t let anyone hurt you I promise.”

He then let Jaime cry on his chest until he passed out from exhaustion, and picked him up, not really knowing what to do with him. As if on cue, another text from H arrived:

“ _Good Job Bartie, but this ain’t over yet. He’s not going to be safe for a while, you need to keep him close. Take him back to the safe house, and ask Batsy to take care of his family. I’ll explain everything soon I promise. -H”_

Bart was pretty frustrated with all the mysteries at this point, but he knew that Jaime’s safety took precedent to his frustrations. And so he did as he was told and ran back to his and Damian’s temporary house, with little Jaime in his arms. When he entered the house, he was greeted by Dick and Damian who looked at him in the most unimpressed and exasperated way ever when he saw who was in his arms.

“I can explain,” he defended himself weakly.

“You better have a good explanation indeed, cause right now it just looks like you kidnapped a younger version of your boyfriend all of a sudden!”

“Wait, that kid is Bart’s boyfriend?!” Dick shouted in shock before being shushed by both time travelers so he wouldn’t wake Jaime up.

“I’ll tell you guys everything in a minute, just let me put him on the couch for now first.”

He did just that, carefully putting Jaime on the couch before wrapping him in a blanket, then got to the kitchen, mentioning to the other two to follow him. He told them everything that had happened, even going as far as recounting his previous encounters with people he knew from the future without giving too much details so Dick wouldn’t learn about people he wasn’t supposed to know about.

“I don’t like this.” Damian decided once he had finished summarizing the events. “and you say this isn’t the first time someone from our present is in danger when you meet them?”

“No, but this is the first time they’re a direct target. I mean, I found it strange when my last mission ended up taking place next to a school and I had to rescue T… my best friend, but I thought it was just  bad luck.”

Damian’s eyes widen when he understood that Bart was talking about Tim.

“You… had to save… him?”

“uhuh.”

“Who’s him?” Dick tried his luck at getting more answers than he knew he should.

“Not now Grayson, I need to think! So him, then Jaime. Then that H is right, this is definitely not a coincidence.”

“No kidding. I’m starting to think she had a reason to send us here. At first I thought we were responsible for all the things changing in this timeline, but now I think that maybe we were sent here to fix the disruptions.”

“What do you mean? Do you think that someone else is wandering around this time and wreaking havoc?”

“Well it wouldn’t be surprising,” Dick intervined, “ just think about it, all the missions you’ve  been doing with the team for exemple, since you got here, they got significantly more dangerous, and if you guys hadn’t been there, we probably wouldn’t have gotten out of it alright. We were not ready for most of them as a team, so how in the hell did we all get out of it alive the first time around, when you weren’t there? Unless they weren’t supposed to go this way, and someone’s been altering them. “

Bart looked at Dick, gobsmacked. He hadn’t even thought about that. To him, those missions were pretty standard, but he had far more experience working with a team than the original squad right now. And while Kaldur was a great leader, he still hadn’t learn to adapt on the spot while still maintaining team cohesion. more than once, when they had been under pressure and the danger seemed insurmountable, either Bart or Damian (but mostly Damian) had taken it upon themselves to come up with a new plan on the spot , keeping their cool despite the urgency. This was something that the team would eventually be able to do themselves, but they weren’t there yet and they knew it.  Dick did pretty well under pressure, but he still had a hard time communicating before acting on his plans. He’d been working on it of course but there still was a long way to go.

“If you guys are right,” Damian declared after thinking for a while, “that means that someone has it out for the team, the current one like the future members. This means no one is safe.”

And wasn’t that scary to think about. That would mean they would have to go from being careful not to destroy time to having to save it. Again, in Bart’s case. For a second he felt himself reverting to his thirteen year old self, feeling scared and hopeless, but he quickly shook it off. Now wasn’t the time to panic.

 

“ We need to come up with a plan then. To make sure we can protect everyone. We might have to think about revealing ourselves to the team Dami, and before you say anything, I know it’s not ideal, but if their lives are in danger, we might not have a choice. We need them to trust us completely witht heir lives, we can’t do that if they know we’re hiding things from them. “

Damian groaned, still not convinced, but Dick agreed with Bart:

“He’s right, the only way to ensure they’ll listen to you is if you’re totally transparent with them. “

“Fine, if it comes to this we’ll tell them. Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it though.”

 

They continued talking about different courses of action for a while, desperately trying to hide the dread they were all feeling inside. No matter what was after them, they had to stop  it and they would.

 

_Jaime’s POV_

 

When Jaime woke up, he was extremely lost. He didn’t really understand where he was or how. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around the unfamiliar place, his eyes finally landing on a figure sitting on a chair next to him, reading the papers. He didn’t recognize the guy, which worried him a little, but he also didn’t feel like he was in any danger at that very moment, which was probably partly due to not being fully awake yet. The guy finally seemed to notice he had woken up, looked at him with a curious frown, before loudly stating:

“Hey B, your guest is awake!”

He heard a muffled “coming” getting out of what he assumed was the kitchen of this place. Still confused, he decided to use all the courage he could muster to say:

“excuse me but, could you tell me where I am and why?”

“You’re in a safe place, my brother Ben brought you here after saving you from those thugs earlier.”

An everything came back to him. The attack, him fearing for his life, being saved by a stranger with superpowers… it was all too overwhelming for him and he felt himself start to hyperventilate. The guy reacted quickly.

“it’s okay Jaime, just breathe. In and out, you can do it.”

With how calm he was saying this, it was easy for Jaime to follow his instructions. He started inhaling and exhaling, and soon his breathing evened out.

“that’s good, very good. Now I want you to listen carefully: you are safe here. No one can do anything to hurt you as long as Ben and I are here to protect you. Do you understand?”

Jaime nodded timidly.

“Good. I don’t think I introduced myself, my name’s Daniel, but you can call me Danny, everyone does anyway whether I tell them to or not. As I said earlier, Ben is my brother and we live here together. He’s currently finishing preparing a meal for you, he figured you would be hungry when you woke up. You must have tons of questions, I can try to answer them if you want, just ask away.”

“I…are you guys, superheroes or something?”

“ you could say that yeah. We fight bad guys and save the innocent, so I guess that’s the term.”

“and you…you have powers?”

“Ben does. He’s a speedster as you probably saw. I don’t. but I’m well trained.”

“Kinda like Batman?”

He saw Danny smile for the first time.

“Yeah, kinda like him.”

“That’s awesome… and… why are you telling me all this? Aren’t you supposed to keep your identities a secret?”

“We are in theory, but desperate times call for desperate measures. We have reasons to believe that some people are after you, and we need to keep you close to protect you. But we can’t do that if you distrust us, so we need to tell you about us so you won’t fell like we’re dangerous to you.”

“I guess that makes sense… does this mean I have to stay here? What about my family? My mom is gonna be worried about me, I don’t want her to think something has happened to me…”

“don’t worry about your family. Batman himself went to take care of them and explain everything. They’ve been placed in another safe house. You’ll be able to call them later to tell them you’re safe.”

 

Jaime released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding at that .

“Why are you doing this? Why are you taking care of me personally instead of, I don’t know, telling the police or something?”

Danny sighed.

“That’s a good question. Let’s just say you’re special.”

“I’m not though… I’m just a kid…”

Danny just looked at him in silence for a while before answering:

“One day, when you’re older, you’ll become far more than just a kid. And we’re here to ensure nothing happens to you until then. “

“How can you be so sure?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I was psychic?”

“Nice try, you already said you didn’t have powers!” Jaime exclaimed while crossing his arms and looking at Danny with unimpressed eyes which made him chuckle. It seemed the boy was starting to get more comfortable.

“Right, shot myself in the foot with that one. Then let’s just say I have a good feeling about you. “

Jaime wanted to ask how he could have a good feeling about him when they had never met before, but at the same time Ben got out of the kitchen with a tray in hand and a big smile on his face.

“Look who’s awake! I hope you’re hungry cause I made tons of food!”

And he wasn’t lying about that. The plate in front of him was fuller than humanely possible, and here was no way Jaime would be able to eat everything. He didn’t say that however, and opted to smiling politely and say:

“I’m starving actually, thank you.”

That was apparently the right answer because Ben just smiled even brighter which honestly shouldn’t have been possible  and pinched his cheek.

“Well don’t let it get cold, eat up and then we can watch a movie if you want? Any suggestions?”

“Um… well there’s always the Avengers, I missed it when it was out in the theater a couple months ago.”

Ben just looked at Danny while snorting, and his brother just sent him a glare.

“That’s a great choice! We love that movie! Just don’t be surprised if you see Danny start crying. He always does nowadays when he watches anything with Iron Man in it.”

“I do not! Stop lying!”

“Love you 3000 baby bro.”

Jaime didn’t really understand what was going on, but the way Danny gasped and put his hand on his heart looking offended was pretty comical, so he giggled.

“ You guys are weird!”

Ben laughed at loud.

“You have no idea how much my dear Jaime! But you’ll get used to it, we’re really nice underneath all this weirdness I swear.”

“I believe you. We’ve only known each other for a few hours and you’ve already done so much for me…”

“Because you deserve it Cariño.”

“You remind me of my mom, always calling me Cariño.”

It was Danny’s time to snort while Ben kicked him.

“Well what can I say, I’m a bit of a mother hen.”

Jaime finished eating (with help from Danny when Ben had his back turned), then he was able to call his mom to let her know he was alright, before they started the movie. ( and yes, Danny did shed a tear when Iron Man nearly died even though he tried to hide it.)

Jaime felt at ease with the other two, like they hadn’t been strangers a few hours ago. They made him feel like he was part of their family, and after the day he’d had, it was more than welcomed.

 

_Bart’s POV_

After  Jaime had fallen asleep again,  Bart took a few minutes to process everything.  He now had to take care of a child version of the love of his life, and that was the strangest thing he’d ever had to do. Damian didn’t help at all, he found the situation far too amusing and loved making fun of him.  

It was easier for Bart to dissociate this Jaime from his boyfriend completely, to see him as a completely different person even though he wasn’t. and once he’d done that, he couldn’t help but need to go full parental mode.

On the other hand, he now missed his Jaime even more and he hated it. He hoped once they would uncover the truth about this new threat, they would finally be able to go home.

 

He was thrown out of his own thought by a sudden storm forming outside, and a lightning he saw from the window. The lightning was quickly replaed by a hooded figure, the same one he’d been waiting to see again for weeks now. He got up  and ran out the door to meet with her. She just smiled at him and greeted him  warmly:

“Hi there Bartie, it’s been a while hasn’t it?”

“Well who’s fault is this?”

She let out a light laugh.

“I had a lot to do until now, but I’m here now. Let’s go for a walk shall we? I have a lot to tell you.”

 

He shrugged, but followed her anyway, and the two of them went away in the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow that was laborious...  
> So. here's Jaime yay! baby Jaime being adorable and getting all the love and attention he deserves.  
> Also, hints of a darker Bart. tbh I thought he might snap at one point and I'm here for itttt!  
> Also, I had to stop writing and take a moment when he called Jaime Cariño for the first time, like, my heart, I'm so emo and nostalgic!  
> Anyway, that's done um... Oh yeah I wanted to say this also! I'm thinking of starting a new companion fic just cause I now misss Jaime and Timmy so I was thinking about doing something about them being the best roomates ever lol. might start that soon. 
> 
> Next Chapter: H comes clean, and we learn truths we never even thought about.


	12. You're not the only one with secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart discovers the whole truth, something bigger than anything he could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi;  
> Wow I'm nervous...  
> Okay so, this chapter is a little different. actually it's a whole lot different and I'm terrified you won't like it. I wanted to try something and I'm pretty proud of the result, but it's not what you're used to. I just hope you're still entertained by this, I promise that we'll get back to the team soon enough.  
> Hope you enjoy x

Bart and the mysterious H walked for a pretty long while in silence, just coursing through the night like two lost travelers. Bart was getting more and more restless every second, but not her. She was as calm and serene as she’d always shown herself to be, letting the breeze hit her face without a care in the world. She finally took pity on her companion however, and broke the silence:

“It’s a nice night isn’t it? I used to be scared of the night. Not because of the dark, but because it was the only time when I was truly alone, and I hated it. The idea that I had to fight alone against my inner demons, that if I screamed, no one would come. But nowadays… well that’s not an issue anymore. “

“Why is that?” Bart asked, curious.

She smiled, but it was a sad one this time.

“Because I’m alone most of the time now; so I learned to deal with it. But you’re not here to listen to me complain about my life. You want answers.”

“That would be great yes.”

“I’m willing to tell you as much as I can. But I’ve got to warn you, this is a very long story. “

“I’m not scared of long story. In fact, they’re my favorites.”

“I’m aware. Let’s just stop here and sit, it’ll be more comfortable.”

‘Here’ was actually  swings in the backyard of a small house. Bart looked at her skeptically.

“is that a good idea? What if the people who live here wake up and see us?”

“They’re not here tonight. Besides, no one can see us right now, I made sure of it. Come on Bartie when was the last time you’ve been on a swing?”

“ I don’t remember… fine, let’s do it.”

She smiled brightly at that as they got on the swings and she started slowly swinging back and forth, just enough for it to feel soothing. Bart did the same even though he felt silly, in the middle of the night with a stranger, playing in other strangers’ backyard.

“So, did you really make me come all the way here just so we could behave like five year olds ?”

“Why not? It’s important to stay connected to your inner child. Especially for people like us who didn’t really get to have a childhood.”

Bart was smart enough to understand that she was trying to give some clues about herself without exactly telling him outright. Perhaps she was scared, or insecure about the truth. There certainly was more to her than the mischievous , carefree magic user he’d seen until now. 

“Will you tell me who you are?”

She snorted.

“Who I am won’t help you in any way. Who I was though, that’s another story. But let’s not start by that. Let’s talk about the reason you’re in the past. You guys were right, you’re not the only people from your time running around in 2012. There’s a man here hell bent on eliminating as many young or future heroes as he can. he goes by the name of The Caretaker, and likes to think of himself as a kind of deity for some reason. He’s lived a very long life, and his followers think he’s an immortal God, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  The truth is, he’s been stealing the life essence and magical enrgy of powerful magic users for centuries so he wouldn’t die, supposedly so he could achieve his goal of world domination or whatever for the greater good of human kind, but if you ask me, he’s just scared of death, of his time running its course.”

“I see, so typical psycho ready to bring about the apocalypse, get it. But why does he target us especially?”

“That’s because you’re all getting in the way of him getting what he wants. What he’s wanted for all those centuries. The perfect child to become his weapon, the one to bring him the world on a platter. “

“And who is this child exactly? “

“Caleb.”

Bart nearly fell off his swing hearing that; Caleb. The poor little kid that Conner and Tim had rescued from a shady lab, and who’d then been adopted by Jason and Roy who had been wanting to have another child anyway. He’d only been part of the family for a few months, but everyone was already completely in love with him. Last time Bart had seen him, he’d heard him talk for the first time, since he had been basically mute after the trauma he had experienced in the lab. But he’d made a lot of progress in just a few months with his new parents. And to think someone was after him right now made Bart feel murderous.

“ You’re telling me he’s doing all of this just so he can get his hands on Caleb? What the actual fuck?”

“I know, this guy is crazy. But the thing is, Caleb being stuck in that lab was part of his plan. He had wanted to wait a few years, then ‘rescue him’ from his terrible life and become his life savior. But nothing went as planned and now he’s pissed. So he went back to do it all over again, this time without the major players who have a big influence on Caleb’s life. But I heard of his plan and I started a counter offensive. I’ve been keeping an eye on Roy most of this time since he’s the most isolated and so the most vulnerable right now. But I can’t be everywhere at once. So I decided to get some help from my two favorite people! That’s where you and Dami Boy come in!”

“I don’t understand… why are you doing this? How do you know any of us? Why are you so hell bent on protecting us, on saving Caleb? ”

“Because that’s my duty of course. I was born to protect him.”

“What do you mean?”

She stayed silent for a minute, before saying;

“I can’t explain to you properly if you don’t have all the elements. You need to see something before I explain. Hm… I guess twelve hours should be enough.”

“Twelve hours?”

“Yeah, we need to turn back time a little. Don’t worry, we’ll come back to this time once it’s done. Just close your eyes, it will be far less disorienting for you like this.”

Bart didn’t know what she was up to again, but decided he had no reason not to trust her at this point, and so he closed his eyes. When he opened them again,  he was blinded by the sudden sunlight in his face. And where there had been absolutely no one just a few minutes before in the backyard except for the two of them, there were now two child sitting on a blanket on the grass, drawing while chatting excitedly to each other. They both looked to be about eight or nine, one was a dark brown haired, fair skinned boy with a round face even though the rest of his body was pretty lean, his cheeks red either because of the sun or the extreme focus he put in his drawing. He was the one talking the most in the conversation, blabbering about what Bart gathered was his Pokémon collection. The second child was a little girl with light brown skin and dark chocolate curls, and a dreamy look in her eyes. She didn’t seem to be taking her drawing as seriously as the boy, happy to experiment with different colors more than anything, and was patiently listening to all the details about Pokémon while nodding and sometimes giving small but enthusiastic responses.

There was something about them that Bart found familiar, be it the way they looked, their manner of talking or their dynamic, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.  Then he heard the girl laugh at something the boy had said, before she  shook her head and said

_“You’re such an idiot sometimes Nate I swear!”_

Oh . well that was a surprise.

“Are those Nate and Amy?” he whisper-shouted to the woman next to him even though he was aware they couldn’t hear him.

“Of course they are! Aren’t they cute? They were already close at the time as you can see. They’ve basically been best friend since the day Nate moved into the neighborhood. No one really understood it, they’ve always been pretty different, but somehow it works.”

She’d said all that with a nostalgic look on her face. Bart looked at her suspiciously.

“How do you know them? Why are they relevant to this story?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but at the same time, a third person appeared , this time a young adult that Bart had no problem recognizing.

“Hey, that’s you!”

“No shit Sherlock, I hadn’t noticed! Now shut up and follow the conversation!”

Bart huffed indignantly but did as told, focusing on the other version of H.

_“Kiddos, don’t stay in the sun too long, Ames is gonna get another headache, and you’re gonna literally burn Nate you know what happened last time!”_

_“It’s okay Hecate! I have sunscreen on this time, mom made me wear it!”_

“That’s your name? Hecate?”

“Yup. Hecate Hope.”

“Wait, Hope? Like Ames?”

“Well duh, she’s my little sister.”

Bart was shocked. He’d never heard Amy talk about a sister, and he’d known her for nearly five years now.

_“Well, sunscreen or not, you both need to stay hydrated. Come on, I made lemonade!”_

_“cool! I love your lemonade!”_

_“Yeah, Nate only comes here so he can drink lemonade you know?”_

_“You’re exaggerating pumpkin, I’m sure it’s only a bonus. Come on now while it’s fresh!”_

 And both kids got up and ran to the door which probably took them to the kitchen. Bart tried to make sense of what he just saw.

“You’re  a great elder sister, taking care of Amy and her friend like that. How old were you at the time?”

“I had just turned twenty two. “

“Oh, so same age as me right now. It’s funny, you look like you haven’t aged a day.”

The smile she gave this time looked more like a grimace. She quickly changed the subject.

“2012 was a rough year. I had to juggle between training my powers, taking care of Amy and maintaining two part jobs and college. I was exhausted. But I never let her see it of course.”

“where were your parents in all this?”

“Dead. My dad died in strange circumstances when Ames was two. My mom fell ill and followed him three years later. I’ve been taking care of Ames ever since.”

Bart couldn’t believe his ears. He’d always thought Amy had had a pretty normal life, well sure he’d never actually met any of her family, but they were college students, most of them had moved away from home for their studies.

“I didn’t know… why didn’t I know?”

“Amy doesn’t talk about her childhood. Nate is the only one who knows, and that’s just because he’s been there for a lot of it.  She’s pretty secretive, even with her friends.”

“I guess I can’t fault her for that, I mean with all the secrets I have myself… but I could have sworn I heard her talk about spending Christmas with her family in New Orleans once?”

“Right, that’s her adoptive family. She’ll meet them… four years from now at this point I think.”

“her… what? What do you mean? Didn’t you say you were the one taking care of her. “

“I was. I am, right now. For one more day.”

“One more day? Why? Are you… are you planning on abandoning her or something?”

Hecate looked at him, and there was this smile again, the sad one, coupled with a gaze that looked suspiciously wet.

“Bart. You said it yourself. I don’t look any older than I did back then. Like I haven’t aged. Because I haven’t.”

“o..kay? I still don’t see where you’re going with this?”

“You asked me to tell you who I am, and I told you it wasn’t relevant to your situation, that you needed to know who I WAS, who I had been. And I showed you just that. I showed you when I was Hecate Hope. But I’m not anymore. In fact, what you see is the last day of me being Hecate Hope. Because Bart, tomorrow is the day I die.” 

Bart  jumped up in suddenly, shock and disbelief clear on his face .

“What do you mean you die?! That can’t be true, you can’t be dead!”

“But I am. That’s way I have so many powers, why I can bend time to my will, why I know so much about every single one of you. I’m not part of this world anymore. I’ve been awarded the chance to come back to make sure the Caretaker doesn’t win , but I’m still limited in my involvement. For exemple, I can’t interact with Amy, ever. I can watch her but she can never know I’m here, no matter the time. I can’t change my own fate either, but that’s a given. And I can’t directly face the Caretaker, which is a real shame, I have a bone to pick with that asshole.”

“…. He killed you didn’t he? He’s the one who murdered you.”

“He did. As I told you, he needs Caleb, and I was in the way.”

“But how? Caleb won’t be born until years from now! So you won’t ever get to meet him, not the alive you anyway. So why did he target you?”

“I told you already, I was born to protect Caleb. Magic has been flowing through my family’s veins for as long as we’ve existed. And we’ve always been linked with the Caretaker, ever since he started his psychotic attempt at world domination. We’ve protected as many magical children as we could, but he always ended finding one to fulfill his goal. But we knew, we felt magic becoming stronger and stronger each century. We knew one day a child would be born with enough powers to either stop him for good, or join him and help him become what he’s always dreamed of. So my ancestors vowed that we would do everything in our power to protect thics child from him. This child is Caleb, there’s no doubt about it. And I was supposed to be the one to protect him, I was supposed to be there for him from birth. But I failed him. I wasn’t strong enough and I failed him just like I failed my sister. Because of me he’s been kept in a cage, tortured, studied by crazy scientists, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

“It’s not your fault Hecate, you barely an adult and you had too much on your plate! How can you blame yourself for being murdered at 22? You’re as much a victim as Caleb is.”

“But I shouldn’t have been. I should have been strong enough. Now I’m gone, and the burden will fall onto Amy sooner rather than later, and she’s even less ready than I was! But I figured, I might not be able to act, but I can make sure Amy has powerful allies in her mission, and Caleb has a change at a real family. That’s why I made sure Tim and Conner found out about the secret lab, and that’s why I made sure you would meet Nate on your first day of college. “

“You mean… him getting the wrong schedule and ending up in my homeroom, that was you?”

“heh, consider it being my way to help fate along. So you see, I’ve been there for long, watching all of you, getting to know you. I’ve laughed with you, cried with you, I’ve been thoroughly entertained by your nonsense. I’ve developed a soft spot for all of you. But you and Dami? Well, you two are my favorites. The way you’ve grown, it’s impressive, moving and admirable. And I knew if anyone could make this trip, it was you two.”

“I still don’t get it, what are we supposed to do?”

“Protect your friends and family. Block the Caretaker at every turn. He doesn’t have long left before he gets thrown back into his own time. He used a very complicated ritual you see, and it takes a lot out of him. He won’t be able to do this again any time soon. But we need to make sure he can’t do any damages before then. I think his main targets are Tim, Conner, Roy and Jason.”

“Then what about Jaime? why attack him?”

“Oh that’s easy, to distract you. He noticed you were back in time when you saved Tim and he didn’t like it, so he tried to make you  focus on something else, what better way than to threaten your boyfriend?”

“That bastard!”

“Precisely. I wouldn’t put it past him to keep trying to target him to make you waver. He’ll probably won’t have any qualms in hurting the rest of the team either, so everyone is gonna have to be on guard.”

“We’re gonna have to tell them everything won’t we?”

“for their safety yes. Don’t worry, if I see it’s making too much of a mess, I’ll alter their memories when you leave. But anyway, it’s not exactly your reality. What the Caretaker has done has already created an alternate timeline, even before you guys got here. Of course it’s still better not to change too much, because we  have no way to know the kind of world we’d be creating for them. “

“Gotcha. Well at least I won’t have to be Ben Porter anymore.  I hate that name. I will miss calling Dami baby bro though.”

“You two are the cutest honestly, you make me coo more than I’d like to admit. Now come on, let’s go home before your baby bro notices you’re gone. We can’t have him going on a murder spree because he thinks you’ve been kidnapped now can we?”

Bart chuckled and followed Hecate as they  retracted back to the safe house in a comfortable silence. Once they were in front of the house, Bart turned to Hecate and took her hand in his, looking her in the eyes, and said:

“You don’t have to worry about Ames anymore. I’ll take care of her from now on, just like you’ve been taking care of all of us for years. I’ll make sure she’s happy and healthy I promise.”

She gave him an emotional smile and a kiss on the forehead in return.

“This is exactly why you’re my favorite, Bart Allen. Thank you. I have to go now, but I’ll be back as soon as possible. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone like getting yourself killed alright?”

“I’ll try not to.”

And with one last smile, she disappeared into thin air. The sun started rising. This was a new day. In a few hours, Hecate Hope would  die, just as the rest of the world would wake up. Thinking about that made Bart feel helpless, but at the same time, he was determined to make sure her death hadn’t been in vain. He opened the door to the house and got in, looking back one last time at the dawn  before closing it behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so... that's that  
> Next Chapter: Things get on the right track before everything falls apart again.


	13. Saving You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian is the best babysitter. also some bad shit goes down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are gonna kill me lol  
> So I'm late again which, I didn't see coming. Basically I got a job. like out of the blue I got offered a job as an actress for a pretty great project for two weeks with a very decent pay and it took up most of my time. then after that I was kind of feeling down for a few days and I tried writing but it didn't work. until now.  
> All excuses aside, you're probably gonna kill me cause I went MIA and come back with... well, you'll see.  
> Hope you enjoy my babies, kk love you! xxx

As predicted, Damian was less than please to have to tell the team the truth after Bart had recounted his night to him.  But ultimately, he knew he didn’t really have a choice but to go with the plan if he wanted to go home. Plus, it was for everyone’s safety and that was what was most important.

Damian sighed as he thought as the task ahead of them. No matter how careful they were, this would end up creating a huge mess, the kind he would get headaches from, there was no escaping it.

He looked to the kitchen table where Bart was having breakfast with Jaime, answering his numerous and enthusiastic questions about superhero life with a patient and fond smile. He was handling the whole thing far better than Damian ever could. True, it had gone pretty well with his father, Dick and Jason, but only because they knew exactly who he was. Now, he was going to have to interact with Tim and not let anything slip. That was going to be a tough one.

He joined the other two for breakfast, thinking he might as well enjoy a last moment of peace before the doom.

Of course the peace didn’t last long, because they were called in for a mission. This proved to be a problem, because that meant one of them had to stay with Jaime while also having to track down Tim. While Bart obviously wanted to be personally responsible for  Jaime’s safety, Damian pointed out that he would be of more use to the team than himself for this particular mission, plus it would leave Damian more time to come up with a plan of action against the Caretaker. It was time for them to be the ones setting traps, and Damian was a master at it. So after giving a long reassuring speech to Jaime (which was more for himself than for the poor boy if he was being honest) Bart sprinted to Mount Justice. 

“Well Jaime, how would you feel about a small trip to Gotham city?” Damian asked nonchalantly while putting the breakfast dishes in the sink.

“Gotham? Why do we need to go there?”

“I have to find someone who might need help just like you. He’s more or less your age actually, and I think you’ll get along really well.”

“Oh? Well, if he’s in danger we should probably help him as soon as possible then! I’ll go put my shoes on!”

He nearly tripped with how fast he tried to get to his shoes. Damian shook his head fondly while internally wondering when he’d become a glorified baby sitter, then made a quick call to his father.

“Damian, is everything alright?”

“Yeah nothing to worry about, I was just wondering how you and Jay were doing dealing with the news.”

“Well, Jason doesn’t seem phased by the fact that a ancient powerful psychopath is trying to kill him, and he thinks I’m going overboard telling him he can’t get out of the house and staying with him , but he hasn’t thrown a fit yet, just mopped around a bit.”

Damian wasn’t surprised, Jason was probably secretly happy that Bruce was finally spending some time with him, even though he was kind of forced to.

“he’ll get used to it. I’ll come see him as soon as I can, but I have a lot on my plate right now.”

“it appears so. According to Bart you have another target to find and protect? He didn’t want to tell me more and absolutely refused my help.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it I got it under cover.”

“Am I to understand this person is going to play a significant role in my future?”

“You’re just as curious as Dick, you know?”

“My bad.  It’s my detective side speaking, no more question I promise. I hope everything works out on  your end, and don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything okay?”

“Will do. Now go entertain my brother before he finds a way to blow out the house.”

“You’re saying this as if you’re talking from experience.”

Damian didn’t answer, which actually managed to worry Bruce.

“… you’re not, are you?”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Oh Lord, I gotta go, JASON,WHERE DID YOU GO?”

 

And then the call ended. Damian chuckled a bit at the thought of his father panicking over Jason’s antics, before getting brought back by reality by Jaime:

“Hey Danny, you’re coming or what? We have someone to save!”

“Yeah I’m coming little hero!” Damian answered amused.

 

They took the Zeta Tube to Gotham, which made Jaime completely lose his mind with excitement and wonder. The city itself had him completely bewildered.

“This is the first time I go so far from Texas!”

“Well, technically this isn’t really true, cause our house is actually in Montana.”

“You’re telling me I was in Montana and didn’t even know?!”

“Well, we didn’t really think to tell you. To be honest, we don’t spend a lot of time out of the house when we’re there so we often forget we’re in Montana ourselves. “

“That’s so strange… and Now I’m in New Jersey! All of that in two days, I might visit every States in less than a month if this continues! That would be so cool! I’ve always dreamed of visiting all fifty States!”

It was clear that Jaime was a very earnest and optimistic kid with a lot of dreams. Damian might not be that close to his older counterpart, but he was pretty sure he’d long since lost this outlook on life. He wondered if it was what had attracted him to Bart, this sense of wonder that he never seemed to lose no matter how much life had gotten him down throughout the years.

 

“I’m sure you’ll get to do it one day, you’ll have to call me when that happens though.”

“I will !  I promise! “

 

They finally got to Tim’s school, just in time for recess.  Damian had a plan of what to say to Tim to get him to follow him without having to essentially kidnapping, but this only had a 40% chance of working if he was being honest. Fortunately for him, he wouldn’t have to use his poorly made excuses, because just as he was wondering if it was better to wait til noon or not, he saw Tim discretly get out of the school, looking worried. He took his change and hurried himself and Jaime in his direction.

“Hey kid, you look troubled. Is something wrong?”

Tim looked at him with discerning eyes, trying to figure something out, before asking with suspicion in his voice:

“Why do you care? Are you with them too?”

Damian didn’t need to ask who was them.

“Someone is trying to get you isn’t it?  We got here just in time then. Listen Tim, I know you don’t know me and you probably don’t trust me, but I came here to protect you. I’ve learned that someone would come after you and so I’m here to take you to safety.”

Tim looked at him skeptically without saying anything, and Jaime chose this moment to intervene:

“It’s true, Danny’s a good guy. Him and his brother have been taking care of me since yesterday when I was mugged and his brother had to save my life!”

“A brother?” Tim picked out.

Damian suddenly remembered what Bart had said.

“Oh right! You met my brother a few days ago! He saved your life from a super villain? “

Tim’s eyes lit up.

“Your Brother is Lightspeed?! Wait, does that mean you’re…”

“Yup, now I would love to tell you more about it and answer your thousands of questions, but you seemed in a hurry to get out of here a few minutes ago so we should probably get to safety first, if you’re okay with following me now?”

Tim still hesitated, but his curiosity was too big to pass up this opportunity, plus he was still in danger either way, so he finally nodded  . Damian instantly got his game face on.

“ Alright, we’re not going to get to the zeta tube right away in case we’re getting followed. We need to make sure we lose any potential stalker. So you boys follow me and do exactly everything I say okay?”

He got twin nods as a response, and so they went. Damian made them take every shortcut, small streets, and corners he knew, making it hard for anyone to follow them without blowing their cover, which didn’t take long to happen. He noticed this tall middle aged man at every turn, trying to look as unconspicuous as he could in his all black outfit. He might have though he was smart, but Damian was smarter. He hurried the boys into what he knew was a dead end and told them to hide behind the dumpsters while he got ready for a fight. He didn’t have his sword unfortunately, but he never got out of the house without his utility belt. He doubted he would need it however. He only had to wait a few minutes  before the man showed up.

Damian looked at his nails, apparently bored, before saying:

“There’s nothing I despise more than creeps like you who stalk children. “

“This doesn’t concern you punk, give me the rich brat and the other kid and you can go.”

“I’ve got a better idea, how about I break every single bone in your body? “

The man looked irritated at that, and started reaching for what was probably a gun, but Damian didn’t leave him any time to actually pull it out before attacking him, forcing him into hand to hand combat. The man was no pushover, but he wasn’t on the same level as someone trained by both Batman and the League of Assassins. Damian did good on his promise of broken bones, , incapacitating him as much as he could before knocking him unconscious . Thinking it was better to be safe than sorry, he still took away his weapons from him. , before telling the boys to come out of their hiding place.

“Woah, that was awesome!” Tim said while Jaime nodded equally in awe, but also looking a bit worried.

“Yeah, it really was, but are you okay though? You took some hits.”

Damian looked at him fondly realizing he was worried about his well being.

“Don’t worry about me Jaime, I’ll probably have a couple of bad bruises but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ve seen way worse. Come on now, we’ll take the zeta tube to Montana and we’ll go grab something to eat before heading home. Should be safe for now. “

And so they did. Damian took them to a small cosy diner not so far from the safe house, and he patiently answered every questions they and about being a superhero and every hero he knew and how they were in real life. Then, they started getting to know each other, and as expected, they instantly clicked.  It was actually heartwarming to see them get along so well, even though it wasn’t surprising at all.

All three of them were in a spectacular mood when they finally got back to the safe house. It wasn’t to last however.

When they opened the door, instead of finding an empty house, they were met with the team all packed up in the living room, looking battered and defeated, especially Wally and Dick, and more importantly and scary for Damian, Bart was nowhere to be found.  He quickly told Jaime to take Tim upstairs to the guest room, which  he did despite being completely starstruck seeing all these young heroes in full gear, before asking in a tone that he wanted strong even though he could hear himself waver:

“Where’s my brother?”

Wally, who was already pale and trembling, let out a strangled sob while Dick tried to soothe him. Conner looked particularly mad , Artemis and Zatana looked at their feet, ashamed and sad,  and Megan looked uncomfortable. Kaldur took a step towards Damian. He seemed at loss and very apologetic as he put his hand on Damian’s shoulder and answered:

“the mission went south, and he was taken by the enemy. I’m truly sorry.”

 

Everything around Damian shattered, and his legs gave out as he fell on the closest chair, broken and silent. He was alone.

When he finally regained some composure, he only said softly but with command: “Explain.”

 

 

 

_Bart’s Journal, Special Entry: Damian_

I’m not supposed to be doing this. This is not something I do. I don’t write out my feelings like this. I don’t even know what to say.

The Caretaker has Bart. I don’t know how long we have until he decides he’s better off dead. I have no idea where he could have been taken or why, and I still have two kids to take care of, and now I have to tell the team about everything.

Wally’s broken. According to Artemis, before he was taken, Bart saved his life and ended up injured. He thinks he’s at fault, and he feels terrible about it. I’d like to say I’m trying to help him with that, but…

It’s just too much. I can’t deal with all of that. I can’t do it alone, I need Bart. I’m supposed to save him but I need his guidance, and that’s pretty fucked up.

I won’t give up though. I’ll find him, I’ll save him, and my brothers, and Kon, and Roy, and Jaime, and the rest of the team.  And No matter who dared to try and hurt them, I’ll make all of them pay.

I’m coming to get you Allen, I promise you. We started this journey together, we’ll finish it together too.

 

 

D.W.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..... I'm writing my will as we speak.
> 
> Next Chapter: Damian comes clean, we learn more about Wally's state of mind, we have a bit of insight on how the team is coping, and probably some Jaime/Tim interactions cause they're cutiepies.


	14. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is revealed, long lasting friendships are formed and long awaited meetings happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! GUESS WHO'S BACK SO SOON!  
> Okay so, yesterday has been hectic which was a shame because I had a lot of inspiration. basicallly I had to leave home because my grandma's turning 89 and we're partying today, but also I ahd to go babysitting first for a less than a week old baby and all I wanted to do was write when I hadn't even packed my suitcase yet lol. but I did anyway even though I didn't finish until now.  
> ALSO! this chapter is dedicated to my baby Nymeria cause SHE HAD KITTENS YESTERDAY OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE IM A GRANDMA FOUR KITTENS MY DEAR LORD!  
> I love her. I also really like this chapter. I hope you enjoy it too xxx

_Wally’s POV_

 

Ever since he became a speedster, Wally had faced the same problem time and time again: he wasn’t fast enough.

Uncle Barry had said it would take time, that he himself hadn’t always been as fast as he was now, and that he was still growing which would influence his powers of course.

But Wally was impatient, he wanted to get faster now, not in a few years. He’d pushed himself time and time again, but he could never get satisfied with the result.

Everyone had told him that it was okay, that his speed was enough for what he was doing, for the team.

But they had been wrong hadn’t they? His speed hadn’t been enough to save himself. Ben had had to shield him from the attack and take the magical blow for him.

He hadn’t even noticed the attack coming his way, but Ben who had been on the other side of the fighting ground had. In a millisecond, he was there, shielding him with his own body.

He’d seen the excruciating pain on his face even though he hadn’t screamed and had barely winced. But Ben had told him it was okay, that he was fine and to keep on fighting.

But he hadn’t been fine. The blow had slowed him down, made him dizzy and easy to beat. He’d collapsed mid-fight, and they had taken him while Wally could do absolutely nothing.

It was his fault, he knew it was. Ben was faster than him, better than him in every way, and now because of him, he was in danger.

Because of him, Danny was in  turmoil scared to death about what could possibly happen to his brother.  And here he was, in his home, feeling sorry for himself when he should be comforting him, trying to find Ben, doing something, anything.

 

“It’s not your fault Walls,” Dick’s voice got him out of his thoughts as he sat down next to him.

“It is though,” he answered weakly.

“No it’s not. Those guys, they were too much for us. For all of us. And they obviously had targeted Ba… Ben. So we couldn’t have done anything  more that what we did. It’s a miracle we’re all still alive. “

“he could have escaped too if I hadn’t been there!”

“He couldn’t have. They were after him Walls. And he wouldn’t want you to be eating yourself with guilt right now. “

“How could I not when he saved me from my own recklessness? I wasn’t careful enough, he was. He was looking out for me, he’s been looking out for me ever since we started going out on missions together, even when I still treated him like crap! I didn’t deserve his kindness, and now he’s paying the price…”

Dick sighed, and he put his hand on Wally’s forearm.

“Ben cares about you a lot. You’ll soon understand why, but he does. And he was once like you. He once wasn’t as fast, or as confident or well trained. He knows how you feel, and he sees greatness in you. He knows you’ll end up being better than you could ever imagine. So don’t say you’re not deserving, cause that would be insulting his faith in you. “

“How… How do you know so much about what he thinks of me? Do you guys talk about me?”

“From time to time. “

“But… I don’t understand, he barely knows me.”

“you barely know him. Doesn’t mean it’s true on the other side. You’ll understand soon enough. Come on, we need to get back to the living room, Babybird is ready to tell you guys everything. “

“Shouldn’t you be Babybird? You’re younger than him aren’t you?”

Dick didn’t answer and just smiled mysteriously before mentioning to Wally to follow him to the living room.

 

_Damian’s POV_

Damian was pretty much hiding in his room. He knew  he had to face the team at one point, plus he needed to go reassure Jaime and Tim, but he was exhausted . He decided to check on his wounds from the earlier fight. As predicted, it was nothing but a few bruises here and there, and it could wait for a while longer . he sighed before putting another shirt on and sitting on his bed, taking Bart’s journal in his hands. He’d written an entry, thinking Bart would be happy to see that he’d kept updating it once he was back, and he’d read what the other had written up so far. It was so bittersweet to see how much he worried about everyone, and especially Damian. He spent most of his time talking about making sure everyone was okay, without ever thinking about himself. And now he was the one not being okay, or here.

He heard a knock on his door, and sighed again before saying enter.

 

The door opened timidly, showing the person responsible for his being in the past.

“Hecate, was it?” he said tiredly, “Nice to finally properly meet you.”

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out as soon as he finished. “it shouldn’t have happened like this, Bart shouldn’t have been in danger, I’m so sorry Damian.”

He might have let his anger lash out on her in other circumstances, but he was to tired and defeated for that right now.

“I’m sure you did what you could.” He said simply.

“ But I didn’t. I wanted to, but I couldn’t be there. The Caretaker is good. Yesterday when I met with Bart, I think he finally sensed my presence and realized I was the one behind all of it. So he planned a trap, with two different attacks at the same time, with one being a decoy. He sent some very powerful people after Roy, and I had to use all the energy I could muster to save him, blowing my cover in the process. While I was busy using up all my energy, he went personally against the team with the rest of his goons.  If I had known…”

“You did what you had to do. You protected Roy. Bart would have wanted you to do it, especially since he’s so important in the grand scheme of things. Now we have to get him back, and make that son of a bitch pay for what he did.”

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be, I’m pretty much fried for a while. I can try and locate where they took him, but that’s as far as I’ll be of any use to you.”

“That’s already a great help.  But if you’re here, then where’s Roy?”

“Oh, he’s downstairs with the team. He’s pretty pissed at not understanding what’s going on. You should probably get there  and start spilling before he starts a riot and the rest of the team follows.”

“Great, perfect. I’ll do that then… God I hate time travel.”

“I know Damian I know. I’ll keep an eye on Jaime and Tim for you . The least they know the better. “

Damian nodded, before  getting downstairs. He could here hushed voices arguing for the corridor, but once he entered the living room, they all went silent and staired at him. He feigned ignorance and just went to sit in his armchair calmly, taking the cup of coffee Dick was handing him with a grateful look before starting to sip it in silence while the rest of the group still stared. Without any surprise, the first one to break was Roy.

“Okay Newbie, I’ve waiting long enough. You’re gonna tell me what the hell is going on here right now before I get mad!”

“Roy! Be patient and more understanding! His brother’s just been kidnapped!” Kaldur berated him with a disapproving look.

“And I nearly got killed and I want to know why!”

 Kaldur was about to retort, but Damian stopped him by lifting his hand.

“It’s okay Aqualad. I’m ready to talk. First of all nice to meet you Roy, I’m sure the others told you my name was Daniel Porter and I was a new recruit from Canada. Except, well, none of that is true actually. “

Everyone looked at him lost and confused except for Dick and, surprisingly, Conner who  barely lifted an eyebrow.

 

“What do you mean none of that is true?” Artemis asked starting to get pissed off, “you mean you’ve been lying to us all this time?”

“I knew we couldn’t trust them!” Megan shouted tiumphally, “I knew they were lying and dangerous!”

“Oh, cause you’ve always been absolutely truthful to us Miss M!” Dick rolled sarcastically said while rolling his eyes, “Shut up and listen to what he has to say before coming up with dubious conclusions!”

Megan took a step bak, shocked by Dick’s sudden outburst, but didn’t say anything and just deflated back to her sit.

“As I was saying,” Damian continued barely showing any signs of interruption, “Daniel and Benjamin Porter don’t exist, and I’m definetly not from Canada, which you should have noticed, I mean I don’t even have a Canadian accent and neither does Bart.”

“Bart?” Wally picked up.

“I’m getting there. So, my real name is Damian, and I can’t tell you my surname because my father is really keen on secrecy, but I’m not Redbird either. Where I’m from, I became the fourth Robin. “

 

“Wait, you’re gonna be Robin? “ Dick interrupted, “You didn’t tell me that! And what do you mean fourth?! I’m gonna have another brother? Oooooh is it one of the kiddos upstairs? Sweet!”

“Hold up hold up!” Artemis intervened, “I don’t understand anything of what you’re saying! What do you mean where you’re from?”

“He’s from the future.” Conner answered casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal, and Dick looked at him with shock while Damian just raised an eyebrow.

“How long have you known?” he asked nonchalantly.

“a few weeks. Bart is the worst at keeping secrets I hope you realize. He let far too many things slip, it wasn’t hard to make a connection. Plus I did some research. Apparently Superman’s adoptive father is named Jonathan. I’m pretty sure he was not the one you were comparing me to but I’m guessing Robin is not the only one who can look forward to having a little brother in the future?”

This time, Damian had to say he was quite impressed.

“You would be right about that yes.”

Conner let out a small smile at that.

“Okay, can we get back on track please? Most of us still don’t understand anything.” Kaldur said calmly but still a bit demandingly.

“Right, sorry. So As I was saying, I’m Damian, and I will one day become Robin. Batman is my father, which he knows obviously, and since your Robin over there is a little shit, he spied on us and discovered the truth the first day we got here. As for my “brother”, as you’ve probably guessed he’s not my brother at all, even though I still love him and care for him as a member of my family. But his name is Bartholomew Allen II, or Bart as everyone calls him. “

“You mean… H’s uncle B’s son?” Wally asked.

“Grandson actually, it’s a very long story but Bart is… a paradox, to put it simply.  But he’s been living in our time for nearly ten years now, so we forget he’s not originally from there. “

“That’s… so, Bart is like… related to me in some way?”

“He’s your first cousin once removed. But you’re more like brothers, or father and son.”

“Father and… what?”

“I know, it’s weird, and wait ‘til you hear him call me uncle Dami.”

“Why would he call you that?”

Damian shrugged at Wally before turning and looking pointedly at Dick, while he confusedly looked back, until he finally seemed to get it and Damian winked at him while he became as red as a poppy.

“So let me get this straight?” Roy decided to get in, “You’re a future mini Bats, the guy that’s been kidnapped is somehow related to both Flash and Kid Flash, and you’re both from the future. Doesn’t explain what you’re doing here or who’s the crazy hot lady that saved my life and brought me here. “

“Right, that’s Hecate, and she’s the reason we’re in the past. Basically, there’s a dangerous magical megalomaniac trying to take over the world, nothing too out of the ordinary, and he needs to take control of a special magical child to do it, a child that isn’t even born yet in this time. But this child will become important for some of you guys, especially Conner because he saved him from a terrible fate, and Roy because you end up adopting him. So this psycho, he calls himself the caretaker, has decided to go back in time and completely destroy the timeline to take out everyone who could foil his plans of world domination by eliminating them before they ever get a chance to save the child.  So ‘crazy hot Lady’ or Hecate as we’ve recently learned, decided to send Bart and myself back in time also so we could prevent anything happening to any of you guys, as well as some other people that you haven’t met yet but are equally as important, two of them being upstairs right now. Okay I think I’m done. Any questions?”

 

Everyone just stared at him dumbfounded, trying to wrap their heads around the whole situation. Conner was the first one to come back to his senses:

“Just one: how do we get Bart back?”

Damian smiled at that, relieved to have Conner by his side even though it wasn’t exactly the Conner from his time.

“Hecate told me she could find a way to locate where they took him, but we’ll have to be ready. As it stands, we’re nowhere near strong or trained enough to beat the caretaker or his goons. We’ll have to play dirty if we want to win. There’s also the fact that he might use the opportunity to attack the kids under my protection while I’m not there. “

“Well why don’t you send them to the Mnor?” Dick suggested, “they would be pretty safe there.”

 

Damian looked hesitant.

“I wanted to limit their interactions with Father and our brother as much as possible.”

 

He tried to stay subtle, but could see that everyone was starting to wonder what was happening and since when Robin had a brother, but they didn’t dare to ask questions.

“Oh, you mean because one of the kids is obviously a future extension to the Robin pack? Well, I mean, better a fucked up timeline than to see them dead right?”

Damian let out a long sigh.

“I guess you’re right. Plus maybe it will start off their brotherly relationship on the right foot and I’ll save all of you lots of headaches. Or they will already try to kill each other and poor Jaime will be left in the middle, traumatized.”

“But agent A is here, so everything should be fine.”

“True, well can you call Father for me? I’ll go warn the kids. The rest of you guys can start talking about a plan, I’ll be back shortly. “

Everyone nodded and started the tasks they’d been assigned.

 

_Jaime and Tim’s POV_

As the two boys were left to occupy themselves in their rooms by playing video games while the young heroes were having their war council or something, they couldn’t help but feel worried and confused.

“Should we try and spy on them to see what’s going on?” Tim suggested in the middle of a play;

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Jaime answered, “where I’m from, sometimes when you know too much you end up in even more danger. And Danny’s trying to protect us, so we shouldn’t make his task even harder, especially now that Ben is…”

Jaime couldn’t finish his sentence and swallowed hardly. He had felt an unbelievable sense of dread when he saw that Ben wasn’t back, and  it hadn’t left him since, he’d grown very fond of him in the short time he’d spent with him, and really wanted him to come back safe and sound. 

“He’s gonna be alright you know?” Tim told him in a reassuring voice.

“How can you be so sure?”

“He’s a superhero. A really competent one. Of course he’s going to come back in great shape.”

“If you say so… I really like him. I mean him and Danny both.”

“yeah, same. They treat us really well, better than people who are just supposed to protect us should. “

“Right? It’s almost as if they saw us as…”

“Family, yeah. They’re weird. “

“Very weird. But in a good way.”

“The best. “

Tim stopped playing all of a sudden and turned to Jaime.

“You’re pretty weird in a good way too you know?”

“I uh… okay?”

“what I mean is, well, we’ve only known each other for a few hours, but I already feel like I can talk to you about anything and you won’t judge me, and that’s pretty weird.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah. As you can probably guess, I don’t have a lot of friends. But meeting you… it feels like I’ve made one, and one that I will have for the rest of my life…”

Tim was staring intently at his laps, twisting his hands nervously. Jaime smiled.

“Well, you’re also very weird Timmy. In the very best way. And I’m glad we’re friends for life now!”

Tim released a sigh of relief before smiling too .

They suddenly heard a knock on the door and Danny entered the room   .

“Are you boys alright? I’m sorry things took this turn.”

“It’s okay, we can handle it!” Jaime said strongly, puffing his chest.

“Did you need something from us?” Tim asked.

“Actually, I came to tell you guys that I wouldn’t be able to take care of you for a while. I need to go find and save Ben. But don’t worry, I’m not leaving you in danger. You’ll both get to go to an eve, safer house, protected by Batman himself. “

“Oh, so we’re going to Wayne Manor? “ Tim said nonchalantly while Jaime’s eyes grew two sizes.

“Wayne Manor?! Why would we go there?”

“Cause Bruce Wayne is Batman duh.”

Danny rolled his eyes and pinched his nose.

“I always forget about your detective skills. You’re a nuisance you know that?”

“Takes one to know one. So we’re going there right?”

“ Wait, did you just say that Bruce Wayne the famous billionaire is Batman?!”

“Yeah I did, get with the program Jaime. Also his ward Dick Grayson is Robin. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out.”

Jaime just stared into the void, gob smacked.

“Well, now that you’ve completely annihilated Batman and Robin’s secret identities, would you guys want to meet Robin in person?”

They both nodded enthusiastically, and their host went to fetch Dick. He came back with him in tow. He’d change into civilian clothes and was wearing sunglasses. When he saw them, he smiled.

“Oh hi Jaime, nice to see you again!”

“uh… again? You know me?”

“Oh right, you were unconscious last time! I was there when Benny brought you home. “

“Oh okay… nice to meet you too I guess Robin…”

“Please, you can call me Dick, since you’ve apparently been told my secret identity by tiny over here. “

“Hey! I’m not tiny!” Tim shouted indignantly.

“you’re very small kiddo. What’s your name?”

“Tim. Tim Drake. “

“Nice to meet you Timmy, it’s always nice to find other skilled detectives. You have a great future ahead of you I’m sure. “

“I… thank you. You’re pretty awesome too. I loved your act in the circus.”

“Oh, you knew about me even then?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what helped me guess both yours and Batman’s identities. “

“Impressive. Well I’m sure we’ll get along just fine in the future, all three of us. For now, I’ll take you back to my humble home. Now I have to warn you, B can seem a bit intimidating in the beginning, but I promise he doesn’t bite. Plus you’ll have Alfred who’s basically the best person to ever grace this Earth. Oh and there’s Jason. “

“Who’s Jason?”

“My adorable little brother who I absolutely love and adore with all my heart.”

Danny snorted at that.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, it’s just, you used to introduce me like that to.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. It’s basically   your way of introducing your more… troubled brothers. You calling us adorable shows  your unsettling optimism and faith. “

“No, it shows you’re both adorable. Now come on punks, say goodbye to Danny, we’ll take the zeta to Gotham right now. Alfred will be waiting for us there. “

Both boys looked half excited, half sad to have to leave. Jaime was the first to approach  Danny timidly, his head down.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. I really hope you find Ben soon and he’s okay… “

“he will be I promise. You take care of yourself and make sure Tim doesn’t get in trouble okay?”

“I will!”

He hhesitated some more before hugging the older who was taken by surprise but hugged back.

Tim was next.

“Will we see you again?” he asked a bit sadly.

“We’ll come by the manor once evberything is over to saya  proper goodbye, don’t worry. In the meantime, you guys have fun and take care of each other. And try not to let your curiosity get you into trouble alright?”

“I guess.. “

He tried to shake Danny’s hand, but he wouldn’t have it and enveloped him in a tight hug too.

Then they both followed Dick out, ready for their next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blblblblbl I love Jaime and Tim's relationship i wanna cuddle them to death. also Tim is a menace. and Conner is the smartest baby boy ever I love him. and oh poor Wally can't catch a break. 
> 
> Next chapter: more Kon, redheads united, and the Middle Robins finally meet. (don't worry we'll save Bart soon enough)


	15. The Rise and Fall of Relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conner is showing character developpement, Roy and Wally are pretty cool dudes, and Jason likes cute people and things and no one can tell me otherwise.  
> #BigBrotherJasonToddIsTheOnlyJasonThatMatters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know; three in a week? unbelievable. tbh last chapter and this one were supposed to be combined, but I thought I had to much to deal with to fit it all in one. it worked out better this way.  
> Now before you read this chapter I'dl like to adress something. While I'm in no way the biggest Megan fan, I never intended for this fic to become character bashing. I just think that telepathy and how it's used is an important subject to tacke when you write about superpowers, and I think she still has a lot of growing to do, but she's not a bad person. so I hope you won't take to harshly to how I portrayed her...  
> Okay that's it! hope you enjoy! x

Conner didn’t know if Kryptonians (or semi-Kryptonians) could get headaches, but he was pretty sure he was started to get one as he listened to Megan’s incessant screaming about his terrible betrayal.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me they were from the future! How could you hide something this big from me?!”

“It’s not really that important Megan, just something I guessed. Plus it wasn’t my secret to tell. “

“Not that important?! They were lying about everything since the beginning! I’ve been telling you for months they couldn’t be trusted and I was right!”

“You weren’t. they only hid their identities to protect us. Just like everything they’ve done since they got here has been to protect us.”

“That’s what they want you to believe!”

“That’s the truth. They know us. They know who we’ll become in the future. If they wanted to hurt us they could have done so easily. You’re just still pissed because they protest your powers. And with good reasons.”

“With good reasons? They just didn’t want me to know where they were from! They only hate my powers because they have something to hide! And look at you! Now that I stopped looking through your mind you’ve started hiding things from me too!”

“you’re saying this as if I didn’t have the right to have secrets. Everyone has things they’d like to keep to themselves and that’s okay. You have no right to dictate that you should know everything. “

“I do! That’s what my powers are for! Why can you use your strength as you wish but I can’t use my telepathy whenever I want?”

“Because I don’t use my strength to hurt people who don’t deserve it. I don’t feel I’m entitled to break the skulls of everyone I’m suspicious of. I don’t shoot first and ask questions later. Not anymore at least. So don’t try to say we discriminate against you. Did you even care to ask why Damian stopped you that day?”

“because he’s a dangerous psychopath!”

“No, because you were digging into Bart’s worse memories. I’ve talked with him since and even though he wasn’t supposed to tell me about the future, I still understood a few things about him while piecing informations together. He’s a child of war. He grew up on the battlefield. He saw death and destruction around him from a young age. Just like you. Would you like it if someone forced you to relive those moments?”

“I…”

“This is what I’ve been trying to tell you. Your powers have consequences. You compared them to mine saying people were more weary of yours than of my strength. That’s because I actually know how dangerous I can be and I understand the consequences. You don’t. you need to grow up and face the fact that just because you have good intentions doesn’t mean what you do is right. “

“…That’s not you talking. That’s _him._ You’ve spent too much time with Daniel, Damian, whatever. He changed you.”

 

Conner looked at her in disbelief.

“That’s what you’re going to take away from all of this? You haven’t listened to anything I’ve told you have you?”

“I did, but…”

“No, stop this. I’m done. I thought you could be reasoned with, but you can’t. You’re right, I’ve changed. I’ve changed because unlike you, I’ve decided to listen and learn from my mistakes. I’ve decided to grow up. And since you seem to refuse to do the same, I don’t think we can stay together.”

“W… What do you mean? You’re not… you’re not breaking up with me are you?”

“ I’m afraid I am. Maybe one day things can be different between us, but for now, I won’t stay with you knowing you have no regards for what damages you can cause with your powers. “

“Conner you can’t, I…”

“I’m sorry Megan, but it’s final.”

And with that, he turned around and left. He felt a bit bad doing this, but she left him no choice. He’d been reflecting on it for a while now, and he couldn’t keep allowing her to do whatever she wanted. And if she wasn’t going to listen then well, why bother being in a relationship?

 

It was true what she’d said though. Meeting Bart and Damian had changed him a lot. But he reckoned it was a good change. He’d finally seen that he didn’t always need to be the strong brooding type to have a place in this world. He could show other sides of him and there would still be people to accept him. He liked the fact that Bart made a point to always call him variations of the words cute and adorable, even though most people would probably not describe him as such. And he liked talking to Damian. Most people thought he was more of the silent type, but he wasn’t against talking for hours if the conversation was interesting. And Damian never said uninteresting things. To him, every word counted, and he wouldn’t waste them on unimportant things. So every conversation with him had value.

He liked that they both were different than his other friends, and he liked how different he was becoming too.  He was a bit saddened that none of his other friends had seemed to notice though. They still treated him the same they always had, not believing he could be more. Well, except for Robin, but Robin had far too much on his plate right now.

They’d figure it out eventually, he guessed. They just needed time.

He went to the kitchen where he found Wally with Roy , drinking in silence, a coffee for Roy, a hot cocoa for Wally.

“You okay Sups?” Wally asked him as soon as he got in “We heard you with Miss M, sounded like an argument.”

“Yeah, I’m alright I think. Megan might not be though. I just broke up with her.”

“You did what now? Why?”

“Let’s just say we had… irreconcilable differences.”

“… huh?”

“Leave it be. what are you guys doing here?”

“We’re taking this whole situation in,” Roy answered  “this whole time travel deal is too much for me if I’m being honest. “

“You’re telling me. I just learned that the guy I’ve been having  an inferiority complex over is actually my little cousin or something.” Wally murmured.

“Inferiority complex? Really Wally?” Conner said confused.

“Well can you blame me? Bart is so perfect I would say every speedster was made in his image if I didn’t know he actually descended from Uncle B! How was I not supposed to get insecured?”

“is that guy really that great?” Roy asked not convinced.

“I mean, yeah Bart’s pretty amazing,” Conner shrugged, “but you’re great too Wally you know? You’re just younger so you’re not as in control of your life as he is, that’s just how growing up works.”

 

Both redheads looked at him as if he’d grown a second head.  He raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Wally answered, “ it’s just…”

“You’re talking like a wise dad and that’s weird.” Roy cut bluntly.

“… Right. Let’s go back to the subject. So time travel huh.”

“You don’t seem fazed by it.”

“Not really no. well I also had time to wrap my head around it. But with how weird our lives are, time travel isn’t the hardest thing to accept.”

“Should we try to get infos about our future?” Wally wondered out loud, “I mean, I know it’s a big no no in sci-fi movies and stuff but, like, isn’t there some things we might need to know?”

“I mean, hanging out with Bart, I already know a bit more than I should. Poor guy is incapable of keeping his mouth shut. He probably let out a lot of spoilers around you too Wally, you just didn’t realize. But I don’t think we should try and get to know more than we already do. We’d always live in anticipation of what’s to come and make our decisions based on that, and without even talking about the consequences on the timeline, that’s not a way to live our lives. “

“ Kent’s right, let’s keep the unnecessary complications out of our lives. I’m already trying to wrap my head around the fact I’ll end up adopting a random kid who’s actually Harry Potter or some shit. “

“ Yeah, I have to admit that the thought of you as a parent is pretty unbelievable,” Wally pondered “and you’re both right, I’m not sure I’m ready to know what my future holds. I’m already stressed out as it is by the little we know. Four Robins? Lord have mercy, no way I’m surviving this.”

“You’ve been told a crazy sorcerer is after our asses, and you’re more worried about the Robin gig becoming a legacy?” Roy asked incredulously.

“Priorities,” Conner muttered.

 

They continued talking for a while, before finally rejoining the rest of the team to help with the planning. Damian joined them not so long after, and by the time Robin was back , they had a pretty solid plan on their hands, even though ultimately, they couldn’t account for all the variables that a magical being brought to the table, not even with Zatanna’s and this Hecate character’s input.

Once everyone went to gear up, Conner took the time to intercept Damian and check on him.

 

“How are you coping?”

“Fine, I’ll deal. This wouldn’t be the first time I have to organize a rescue mission. “

“Yeah but it’s the first time you have to do it out of your time, with a team you’re still not used to working with. You don’t have to hide that you’re scared shitless.”

“I hate the fact that you seem to read right through me even right now. “

“I finally got to peel of your masks didn’t I?”

“Seems like it.”

“Well, I just wanted you to know, I’m sure you must feel pretty isolated without Bart right now, but you’re not. You can lean on me okay? I’m here for you. “

Damian looked at him curiously.

“that’s a big thing to say.”

“I know, but I mean it. I might not know why, but you seem to trust me a lot in the future. I mean, Bart already  chose me as his replacement once when you needed comfort, so I figured I could do it again. Plus apparently we’re going to be as good as family once my future little brother gets in the picture aren’t we?”

Damian smiled weakly at that.

“I’m not going to live this one down am I?”

“Probably not no.”

“Thanks Kon. I mean it. I don’t say it often enough but I’m grateful for you. And we’re not as good as family, we are family, plain and simple. For a variety of reasons that I won’t get into right now. “

“Oh. Well, I’m not really used to having a family yet, but seems like fun. “

“It is sometimes yes. Especially a big crazy family likes ours. Bart often says we’ve taken the concept of family and made an artistic reinterpretation of it. Ever since he’s started going off to college he’s been spewing a lot of nonsense if I’m honest. But I would give anything to hear him say this kind of crap right now…”

“Soon, I promise. We’re getting him back tonight and you’ll soon be wishing he would shut up again.”

“I hope you’re right…”

 

 

_Wayne Manor._

Tim was a bit more nervous than he’d like to admit as Alfred parked the car in front of the manor. It was one thing to investigate about Batman and Robin, another to meet both of them in a day. Having Jaime with him helped a bit, especially seeing his wide eyes amazed by the sight of the manor.

The all got out of the car, and Dick put his arms around both their shoulders.

“Welcome to the House of the Bats! Please enjoy your stay as our honored guests!”

“Master Richard, I believe I’m the one who’s supposed to do the greetings.”

“Whoops, my bad Alfred! You know how much I look up to you!”

“If you want an internship to become a butler I’m sure Master Bruce could arrange that.” Alfred answered dryly.

“I’ll think about it. Come on kids, let’s go meet Count Dracula and his minion. “

They both followed him inside, Jaime hanging onto Tim’s right arm as if his life was on the line. Tim didn’t complain though, it gave him a bit of reassurance.

The Manor was majestic of course, but Tim had long since stopped being impressed by such things. Jaime on the other hand looked like he was scared to put one to out of line or break something while just breathing. They got to the main living room where Bruce Wayne was sitting in front of the window, reading the newspapers. He was dressed pretty casually, or what passed as casual for the upper class, but it was far less intimidating than the usual three pieces suits you would see him in when you caught him on TV.

Once they entered, he put his paper away and turned to them.

“Yo Brucie, I’m bringing you new recruits for your secret army! Or maybe friends for Jason, but that’s less probable, considering his social skills. This is Jaime Reyes, and tiny of there is Tim Drake. “

“still not tiny!” Tim couldn’t help but protest, instantly regretting it when that got the attention of the billionaire on him.

He looked at both of them with a calculating stare for a while, before finally shaking both their hands and saying:

“Nice to meet you both, and welcome to the manor. I hope you’ll feel at home here. Jaime, I’ve already heard quite a bit about you from your family. Don’t worry they’re safe and sound still, even though they miss you a lot.”

“Thank you very much Mr. Wayne, for taking care of my family and well, also me now. I’ll make sure I’m not too much of an inconvenience.”

“I’m sure that won’t be a problem son, don’t worry about that. Now, Tim Drake. You’re Jack Drake’s son aren’t you? I think I’ve seen you once or twice before.”

“Yes sir.” Tim nodded.

“Hm. And you single handedly guessed both mine and my ward’s secret identity?” Bruce added while staring him down.

“I did sir.” Tim to his credit, didn’t look down, which Bruce seemed to appreciate as something ressembling the ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

“Interesting. Dick could probably learn a thing or two from you.”

“Hey! Rude!” Dick shouted indignantly.

“I’m sure Robin could teach me far more than I could ever teach him sir. “ Tim said softly and humbly .

“Is that something you would be interested in? learning our ways? From Robin or from me for that matter?”

“I… I uh… I don’t know… maybe?”

“hm. That might have been to direct. You don’t have to give me a real answer. You’re still young after all, you have a lot to look forward to. In any case, welcome again you both. Jason went to take a shower; he should be done soon, and you’ll get to meet him. It will do him good to have people closer to his age around, I think he’s growing sick of spending time with me now. I have to warn you, he can come off a bit stand offish in the beginning.”

“That’s saying it lightly” Dick muttered with a chuckle

“Behave Richard. As I was saying, he’s not the most social or pleasant at first, but I assure you he means well. So don’t take anything he says to hard please. “

“it’s alright Mr. Wayne,” Jaime said  “we’re both pretty bad at being social too so we won’t judge.”

“Jaime’s right, we’re not in a position to judge.”

 

“maybe there is hope that you will get along then. Dick, would you showing them their rooms then checking on your brother? Then they can all come have something to eat , I think Alfred went back to the kitchen to bake, you know how much he loves having people over. “

“Yeah, I’ll do that and handle the introductions, but then I have to go, the others are waiting for me.”

“Right, of course. Keep me updated on how things go. I’ll make sure some of the League stays on stand by in case you need reinforcement.”

“Good thinking. Alright boys let’s go.”

They got upstairs where Jaime got a mental breakdown seeing where he was going to sleep (‘ _what do you mean this is my room? Like, I’m supposed to sleep here? Alone?! You could fit fifteen people in there! This bed is bigger than my mom’s car! This is insane!’_ ) and then they went to knock on Jason’s door. They heard a muffled “enter” and Dick opened the door.

“Hey there Jaybird! Look I brought you friends! Now remember, friends are good for you, you shouldn’t hit or threaten them, and you should especially not bite them you heathen, I still have that mark from last time!”

“Shut up, you deserved it and you know it. No one touches my hair. Don’t listen to anything he says, I’m  actually not a monster. I’m Jason Todd, and you are?”

Jaime, ever the ray of sunshine, was the first to rush to Jason to shake his hand.

“Nice to meet you Jason! I’m Jaime Reyes! And that’s Tim Drake, he’s a bit shy”

“I’m not! stop lying…”

Tim approach fr less confidently than his friend had and awkwardly said:

“it’s good to meet you. I’m Tim but you already knew that cause Jaime already said that, wow I suck at this. “

“Hey, chill, I don’t bite.”

“Ahem!” Dick intervened

“Let me rephrase that, I don’t bite unless provoked.  Basically I only bite Dickhead over there.”

“Why does no one in this family respect me?”

“Because you don’t deserve respect?”

“I’m disowning you.”

“You’re not my father or guardian, tough luck. “

“You guys are fun!” Jaime declared with a big smile.

“you’re cute,” Jason decided. “Timmy boy too. I guess I’ll keep you for now. Hey, do you guys like video games?”

“Yeah!”

“Duh.”

“Oh thank God, Bruce is absolutely terrible at them, I was gonna kill myself if I had to play with him again. We’ll play some games after eating cause I’m starving. Come on let’s go raid the kitchen.”

He started heading for the stairs and the two younger kids shrugged and started following. Dick, completely dumbfounded, finally came back to his senses to say:

“hey! Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Why are you still there?” Jason asked , “Aren’t you supposed to go do some superhero shit or something? “

 “I… I can’t believe… the disrespect…”

“Yeah, whatever. Just go already, and bring back Bartie for me. I kinda like that guy. Oh and take care of yourself and be careful I guess.”

He tried to make it seem like what he was saying was not a big deal, but Dick could hear the worry in his voice. He decided not to tease him and just smiled.

“I’ll keep out of trouble I promise. And of course I’ll bring Bart back. You guys have fun in the meantime alright?”

All three nodded happily, then went off to the kitchen while Dick  got on his way back to Montana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've noticed that 70% of the time he's in this story, Bruce is reading the papers. What can I say, our resident dad likes to be informed lol.  
> also where can I get a Jaime please and thank you! Kid!Jaime is my new favorite.  
> Next Chapter: Ther return of El Barto


	16. The Sunshine Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Bart becomes a Knight. That's it, that's the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!  
> Ok so. this chapter is basically a mess. In knew it would be because writing action is not my forte. but in a way, I kinda really like it.  
> Finally, here's the rescue mission you've all been waiting for, except maybe Bart's not the one to need saving the most lol.  
> Hope you enjoy.

 

It was a particularly cold day, and Bart had never done well in the cold. He hadn’t been able to obtain warmer clothes, not having enough food to exchange. He barely ate already, and the only reason he hadn’t died of starvation was that he was wearing some tech to block his speedster powers. He had had to choose to negate that part of him in order to survive, unfortunately it also meant he hadn’t been able to defend himself when the Reach had found him. And now he was back to square one, having to work in the prisoner camp until he passed out from exhaustion or dropped dead.

He didn’t really know why he kept fighting to live.  He had nothing left, no friends, no family, no purpose. He was all alone and too weak to do anything to change his situation. He used to wish he could turn back time and save everyone but he knew now it was impossible.  He would never escape his fate.

And yet here he was, still breathing, even though he was but the shadow of his former self. But somehow, something didn’t add up. Why did he feel like this wasn’t supposed to be his life? Why did he feel like nothing around him was real?

His train of thoughts was stopped by a hit on his shoulder. It was one of the Reach soldiers disciplining him for slacking off.

“You! Do your work properly or you’ll be dealt with! You better be on your best behavior, Blue Beetle is visiting today!”

Blue Beetle. The name that put fear in every single prisoners. It used to terrify Bart too, still did to some extent, but nowadays it mostly made him feel sadness and longing. And he didn’t know why. He couldn’t remember why.

He continued his work, trying to forget about the cold,  but it was nearly impossible as his fingers were freezing and he was barely able to use his hands.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw a beautiful husky dog approach him. He frowned before muttering:

“Cupcake?”

He didn’t know where that had come from, or why this name in particular was in his head, but to his surprise the dog seemed to recognize the name and barked happily at him. Bart looked around to make sure no one was watching before carefully petting the dog.

“You’re a good boy aren’t you? “

The dog looked happier every second Bart petted him, and he himself found a lot of comfort in the creature. And so, as if on cue, as if the universe couldn’t allow him to have any kind of happiness in his life, it was taken from him. Out of nowhere, something exploded right next to them. Bart tried to regain consciousness and get away from the debris, coughing loudly. He started to search for the dog , calling him desperately until he found him under all the rubbles, gravely wounded and whining weakly.

“Non, no no Cupcake… it’s okay boy, it’s alright, I’m here…”

But there was nothing he could do for the poor dog. Just like everytime he’d lost someone, he was powerless to do anything to help. He sarted crying, sobbing incontrolably as Cupcake drew his last breath, not caring anymore that everyone could see him, holding the dog close. He didn’t stop until he heard a voice behind him.

“Bart. It’s okay kiddo, none of this is real. “

Bart inhaled sharply, recognizing the voice. He wanted to turn around and see him, but he was so sure that the voice was in his head he didn’t dare to break the illusion.

“You’re not real. You died. You died years ago.”

“A version of me did yes. But then you got back in time and saved the world. Do you remember? You left that retched place, that fucked up time. This is not your life anymore.”

All was starting to get fuzzy in  his head. He was trying to concentrate on what the voice was saying, but it was like something was trying to keep him from doing so. Everytime he tried to tell himself this wasn’t real, more horrible images filled his head, more pain and suffering and loss.

“I can’t… you’re dead…”

“Bart. Look at me. I’m alright, I’m here. Everything will be alright if you just turn around to see me. I’ll take care of you , just like I always did, I promise everything will be alright.”

He wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe he was there to save him. He wanted to be saved. But he was growing tired of false hope.

“nothing’s ever alright… everything I  know is death and destruction…”

“It’s not true. Your life is full of love and light. Yes there is darkness but you overcome it at every turn. Because you’re strong, you’re brave, and most importantly you’re not alone. We’re all here for you. I’m here for you. But I can’t help you if you don’t make the first step. I can’t save you if you don’t save yourself first. Please Bart turn around. “

 

Bart looked at the dog in his arms. The symbol of all the ‘love and light’ the voice was talking about. He was dead. How could he aver be happy? If he turned around, would the death be erased in turn? Could he erase it? He didn’t know. All he knew was this was not the reality he wanted to live in. and if there was a way to not be here anymore, he had to take the chance. He let in a long breath before putting the dog on the floor, getting up, and slowly turning around, his eyes closed.

And then, slowly, he opened them, and he saw him. Wally was there, smiling softly at him.

“Hi there Bartie.”

“Walls…”

“you’re okay now Sunshine, but you need to wake up okay? You need to wake up so you can come home. Come home to me, to Dickie and Cupcake, to Kon and Tim, and to Jaime. Jaime’s waiting for you Bartie.”

Jaime… now he was starting to remember. And he agreed with Wally. He needed to go home.

“I’m coming back Walls, I promise. I’ll be there in a flash.”

Wally smiled again, a big, amused smile this time, and then everything around Bart started fading, Wally fading last. For a few seconds, everything was black, until he opened his eyes to be met by the worried face of the younger version of Wally above him.

“Bart? Are you okay? Please tell me you’re alright!”

“Wally… you’re here.”

“w…of course I’m here what do you mean? We’re all here. We all came to save you!”

“Of course… you’ll always be there to take care of me no matter what, won’t you? “

Wally might not have known the truth for very long, but it didn’t make him hesitate when he said this next:

“Of course I will, you’re my family, I’ll always protect you Bartie.”

And just like that, Bart started crying. Wally didn’t wait more than a millisecond before hugging him as tight as he could.

“Hey, hey it’s okay, it’s over now, we’re all here, you’re safe.”

Bart didn’t answer, just took in Wally’s presence, trying to find comfort again, before he remembered what situation they were in.

“Where is the rest of the team? “

“They’re fighting upstairs, I took off on my own to find you.”

“We need to go help them then! Those assholes aren’t fooling around, they’re in real danger!”

“are you sure you’re up for it? You look… well…”

“haunted?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Figures. I’ve been visited by some past ghosts. But I’m alright I swear. If anything I’m quite pissed. I want to take that Caretaker guy down, he’ll suffer for what he’s just done. “

For a second, Wally was almost scared of Bart as he saw the dangerous fire in his eyes.

“if you’re sure you’ll be fine then… I won’t stop you.”

“wise decision. Let’s go KF, we have a world to save.”

 

They speed themselves upstairs where the fight was raging. Unfortunately, it was apparent the team, while giving their all, weren’t powerful enough against all this magic users. Bart was about to launch himself into the fight anyway, when he heard a voice in his head:

_“Good to see you back Bart darling”_

“ _Hecate?”_

_“Yup, the one and only. Listen, I got pretty fried fighting off the Caretaker’s goons to save Roy, and I don’gt have enough energy to help you guys win this fight, unless…”_

_“unless?”_

_“Unless you grant me permission to link myself to you.”_

_“Permission to… what?”_

_“Basically we’d have to share command of your body. I know how much you’re wary of mind control and everything of the sort, that’s why I won’t do it if you do’t feel like it but…. You’re the best candidate.I promise you as soon as it’s over I’ll leave.”_

Bart looked around, seeing all those people he cared about getting beaten down and still getting up to keep fighting.

_“… do we have a chance of winning if we don’t do it?”_

_“I… I think it’s highly unlikely I’m afraid.”_

_“… then I accept. Do it.”_

And she did. He felt an amazing force possess him all of a sudden, he’d never felt so powerful in his entire life. He could see the glow around him , and suddenly he somehow had a magnificent long sword in his hands.

_“Huh. Somehow I didn’t think I would get a sword out of this.”_

_“I know, awesome right? Her name is_ καταιγίδα, _which means Storm. It belonged to my dad, and he passed it down to me. It’s very powerful. Now enough chit chat, let’s take care of those fools.”_  

Bart didn’t need to be told twice, as he rushed into battle. With the combination of his speed and Hecate’s powers, he tore through the ranks without much effort, under the surprised and shocked stares of his team. He stopped for a second in front of Damian.

“Hey there baby bro, missed me?”

“What.. I… what the hell happened to you Allen?!”

“I embraced the wiccan life my dude, you should try it it’s fun”

“… I give up. I will never understand y.. watch out!”

A  ray of blue light was coming towards Bart from the back. He turned around quick and blocked it with the sword, sending it back to the assailant who fell down screaming.

“Wow, okay, I’m so keeping this sword! You okay Dami?”

“Yeah sure peachy, let’s refocus shall we? We’ll have our tearful reunion later!

Bart winked at him.

“I’ll  hold you to that!”

 

And he was back in action. Soon enough with his help, most of the goons were uncapacitated. The team let out a collective sigh of relief, but in his head, Bart heard Hecate say:

“ _Don’t let your guard down, this is just the beginning.”_

And she was right, because all of a sudden, an enormous fog filled the room. Bart frowned. It looked like normal fog to  him, but somehow, he could feel it wasn’t.

_“This is the Nightmare Mist! They need to get out right now Bart, you’re immune thanks to me but they aren’t! quick Before it’s too late!”_

“Everyone, out! Get out all of you!”

But no one moved. Everyone looked paralyzed with fear.

“What’s happening to them?! Hecate!”

_“they’re seeing their worst nightmares unfold! If they stay in them too long it can kill them! It’s an old dark magic spell that the Caretaker really likes! You need to wake them up! “_

“How do I do that?! How am I supposed to…”

“Ben, I mean Bart... what’s happening?”

It was Megan. Somehow her Martian genes had immuned her too it seemed.

_“Well you got your solution it seems.”_

“Megan! Listen, we don’t have a lot of time, and you’re the only one capable of saving the team!”

“W..what do you mean?”

“the Caretaker is making them live their worst nightmares, they need to be saved from their own minds! I can’t do that, but you can!”

“But… I thought you hated my powers!”

“I don’t! I hate the way you use them sometimes, but your powers are neither good nor bad, they’re a tool! It’s how you use them that counts! You’re a good person, and a powerful telepath! I know you can do it, I believe in you!”

“You… you do?”

“I do! Please save them!”

“I…”

 She didn’t answer because a new figure appeared amidst the mist. It wasn’t hard to guess who it was. The Caretaker.

“Well well well, what do we have here? My little spell didn’t take on you two? It doesn’t matter, I’ll kill you myself, it’s more fun that way. “

Bart tried to control his rage to give his last instructions to Megan in a calm, cold voice:

“You got this Miss M, save the team. I’ll take care of this clown myself.”

“But… he’s powerful, you’ll need…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, just take care of them.”

 And without another word, he picked up his sword and started walking dangerously towards the Caretaker, a determined look on his face.

“You’re awfully confident son.”

“I’m not your son.”

“oh, feisty. Oh but I recognize that sword! Oh silly little Hope, is that you in there? It will be a pleasure to kill you a second time.”

Bart could feel Hecate’s fear, but he reassured her. She wasn’t alone this time.

“You’re not killing anyone else. Not on my watch. “

“Hm. You might make a worthy opponent. Let’s see.”

He made a sword appear for himself and with an evil smile, mention to Bart to start attacking. Bart knew he was being baited, but sighed and took the bait anyway. The Caretaker blocked every single one of his blows, and looked as if he was just toying with him, which he probably was.  But Bart wasn’t a simple prey. And he was a quick learner. He could see the Caretaker was underestimating him, and so he used that to his advantage, and waited til he had let his guard down to use his superspeed to inflict a huge blow. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near enough to incapacitate his opponent and only manage to enrage him. He was done playing. He let go of his sword and sent Bart in the air with one stroke of his hand.

“You’re good, I’ll admit it. But it’s over now. You can’t win against me, I’ve been at it for centuries and I don’t plan on stopping now. Caleb will be mine, and none of you will be there to protect him anymore. “

Bart didn’t answer and got up again, getting ready to charge one more time, but the Caretaker forced him on his knees with his magic and started choking him.

 

“In a way, I’m doing the world a favor. You shouldn’t even exist, you’re an abomination of time. I’m restoring the order of things.”

 

And if it wasn’t the most hypocritical thing Bart ever heard, he didn’t know what was. he couldn’t die from the hands of this psychotic hypocritical asshole, that would piss him off far too much.  But he didn’t know how to get out of this situation.

“ _I’m sorry Bart…. I wasn’t strong enough to protect you… I thought with you, I’d have a chance but… I caused this, I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault…”_

Wally was about to tell the girl that she’d done what she could, to not feel guilty, but then he remembered what Wally had told him in the illusion:

‘ _You’re strong, you’re brave, and most importantly you’re not alone.’_

And he wasn’t. but the Caretaker was.  and he had messed with the wrong family. Bart gathered all the strength he had left.

“It’s not over yet, I’m not so easily killed. I survived the worst, I’ll survive one more time.”

 

The Caretaker laughed at him, but Bart was too busy concentrating on his speed. He didn’t know a lot about magic, but he knew how to use his own powers. It took everything he had, but he was able to start phasing and shaking off the hold of the Caretaker. As soon as he did, he didn’t  waste any time and grabbed the sword back from the ground and  charged the Caretaker at the speed of light. His arrogance kept him from anticipating it this time, and Bart could finally wound him enough to make him vulnerable. He knew it would take far more to kill him, he was an ancient being after all, but with this sword being magical, it would weaken him for a while. Bart Stepped back and smirked at him.

“See, I didn’t need centuries to get to your level. You might want to rethink your life decisions.”

“You’ll pay for this Bart Allen, mark my words! I ‘ll be back to finish you off!”

“Can’t wait honestly.”

The Caretaker sreamed with rage before fleeing into a portal. Bart smiled even wider, then started laughing happily, with tears in his eyes, exhausted.

“We did it Hecate, we saved them!”

“ _No Bart, you did! Thank you, I couldn’t have chosen a better champion.”_

“My pleasure my Lady, it was an honor to be your knight.”

“ _You’re silly.”_

“That I am indeed…”

“ _Bart? Are you feeling okay?”_

Bart dropped to his knees, his legs not being able to support him anymore. Pretty quickly, Damian was in front of him, taking his face in his hands.

“Bart! Are you alright?”

“’mgreat thanks for askin’… jus’ great…”

“Crap! Stay with me okay? “

“yeah, yeah, ‘mhere… I’mma just… take a quick nap… wake me up for dinner ‘kay?”

“W… Bart! You need to stay conscious you hear me? You can’t leave me again! Stay with me! I need you!”

 Bart could do nothing but smile  fondly and ruffle Damian’s hair before falling face first into his shoulder, fast asleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Bart’s Journal, Special Entry 2: Damian_

I swear to everything that’s holy, I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch myself. It wasn’t enough for him to get kidnapped and torture, no! he had to exhaust himself to a critical state and fall into a coma!

Fortunately, he seems to be recovering pretty well. He should be awake in a day or two.

This is the last time you scare me like that Allen you hear me? You’re not allowed to be hurt, I forbid it.

While you’re asleep, I’m going to tell a lot of embarrassing stories about you to the team. Wally is going to love this. Serves you right asshole.

 

D.W

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha I bet you thought I would leave it on another cliffhanger lol well GUESS AGAIN! nah nothing's ever killing my Bartie he's invincible. but there better be dinner ready when he wakes up cause boy only asked for one thing. 
> 
> Next Chapter: Team, meet Bart Allen.


	17. Farewell and Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart has to say goodbye again. he also get to say hello.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER ONE  
> Ok so the next few chapters will be a lot of resolutions. as most of my readers know by now, I'm very big on full circle, so all the most important characters will have their time to shine. I don't think there's a lot of chapters left though. I was planning on making it a 20 chapters fic. I might overlap a bit, but I don't think there will be more then 22.  
> Anyway enjoy chapter 17!

Bart knew he wasn’t conscious, but this time he wasn’t feeling like he was freezing to death so that was a plus. He was sitting in front of a lakehouse, next to a fire. And next to him was Hecate. She was not dressed in her usual high priestess kind of outfit. No, she was wearing a normal white t shirt and denim shorts, and not to forget big sunglasses. Her hair braided in two braids, an she looked like she was about to go on a summer vacation trip with her college friends.

“You scared everyone you know that?”

“Oh I’m sure I’ll get a lot of heat for passing out when I wake up. I will wake up won’t I?”

“Oh yeah, I made sure of that. It’s why I stayed so long. I thought you’d recover faster with me by your side .”

“Oh right, you’re still in my head. Somehow I kind of forgot, you’re not really a bother come to think of it. I thought cohabiting in my own body would be more difficult. “

She laughed a bit.

“Possession is tricky. Some people get too greedy too quickly. But I’ve been dead for a while now, I’m not longing for a life of my own again anymore. So I mostly let you take commands.”

“I’m grateful for that. I don’t recognize this place though, so I guess this is from your memories and not mine?”

“Kind of yeah. It’s the house I wanted to buy after college. I’d promised Ames I would take her in the middle of nowhere, where she could see the mountains and swim in the lake, and most importantly, where she could breathe without a care in the world. That obviously never happened.”

“I’m sorry Hecate…”

“It’s okay, she’s okay now. She’s had a good life despite the terrible beginning. And the rest of her life will be even better. She has a great adoptive family, the best friends she could ever ask for, and I don’t have to fear that she’ll have to face her destiny alone anymore.”

“No you don’t. I’ll be here. We’ll be here.”

She smiled again, sadly this time.

“I know. I put my trust in you Bart Allen, and I know you’ll never disappoint. I’m going to miss you.”

“What do you mean? You’re always welcome to pop up and say hi once in a while you know?”

“I won’t be able to. It’s time for me to let go. I’ve overstayed my welcome . I need to move on now that I know there will be people to pick up my fight.”

“But… why? You’ve stayed this long, you could stay longer! “

“But I shouldn’t. everything has an end Bart, nothing lasts forever. This is the end of my life on Earth. It doesn’t mean it has to be sad. And it doesn’t mean you’ll never see me again. Try not to make it too soon though alright?”

“I…alright I guess…”

Bart didn’t want to let go of the girl he’d grown fond of these past few days. There was something about the way their lives had gone so tragically that seemed to echo, even though Bart’s had gone on an uphill climb while hers had tragically ended. And he felt a big kinship with her, he felt that she could relate to his pain in a way no one else ever would be able to. It was unfair that she had to go, it was unfair she had had to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Don’t be sad for me Bart, I’m happy. I’m finally free. I’m free to move into my lakehouse and wait for Ames to be ready to move in too, preferably in a very long time. I’m in no rush, that’ll give me time to decorate. Maybe catch up on a few tv shows. I really wanna see what all the fuss about Stranger Things is about.“

Bart couldn’t help but chuckle. He couldn’t believe he’d once thought this dork of a woman was a threat.

“Seems like you have a lot planned for yourself. Won’t you get lonely though?”

“it’s okay, I’ll get to see my parents again. They probably missed me a lot. I only have one regret though.”

“What is it?”

“I never got to fall in love. Never had the time. I came close once. But I don’t think I was ready to be loved. You probably know what that’s like.”

“I do indeed… took me a while too.”

“But you got there in the end. I hope Amy can find something like what you and Jaime have. She deserves it. I don’t want her to end up like me. Of course maybe she’ll end up not wanting anything like that, maybe she’ll be content in the single life but… I don’t want her to stop herself from trying just because she’s scared.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. I think she understands love, in all its forms, far better than people usually do. And when she’s ready, she’ll probably find the right person for her. You better make room in that lakehouse for an in law and nieces and nephews.”

She laughed a truly happy laugh at that.

“I’ll hold you to that my dear Bart. I need to ask you one more favor.”

“Sure, anything.”

“Take the sword back with you please, and give it to her. It’s hers now, and one day soon she’ll need it. “

“Of course, I’ll do it. “

“Thank you Bart. For everything.”

And with that, she got up, bent down to kiss Bart on the forehead, and started walking towards the lake. When she was only a few centimeters from the water, she turned around and said:

“Just so you know, you would make a pretty awesome knight.”

“I do know, but thanks for acknowledging it!”

She rolled her eyes fondly.

“Take care Bartie, see you in a hundred years and not a day before.”

And without further ado, she disappeared.

 

 

 

 

Bart woke up with tears in his eyes but a smile on his face. Around him, he could see Damian on his right, Wally and Dick on his left, and  Conner at the end of the bed. Damian was the first to notice he was awake.

“Huh. Finally decided it was dinner time then? At 9:30 AM, only you Allen. “

“Nice to see you too Dami.”

“You won’t find it as nice once I’m through with you. How dare you fall into a coma you moron?”

“I didn’t exactly choose to do so you know?”

“Yeah well, you didn’t choose not to do so either.”

Bart rolled his eyes and turned around to the other for help, but they just shrugged.

“You’re on your own bro.,” Dick said apologetically, “I think he lost a bit of his marbles when you got kidnapped, he honestly scares me too much.”

“Cowards, the lot of you. I’m sorry Dams, I promise I won’t do it again,  are you happy now?”

“Not  really, but I also don’t feel like screaming right now so you’re off the hook for now. “

“Thank God.”

“All is well in the world!” Wally said enthusiastically , “hey, Bartie, you hungry? Alfred made cookies look!”

“Awesome! Gimme!”

The three other males watched as the two speedsters were happily devouring cookies, before Conner said:

“The rest of the team kind of wants to meet you properly now that you’re not Ben Porter anymore you know?”

“Oh, right! Forgot about that for a sec. well, where are they?”

“downstairs. They didn’t want you to be overwhelmed with too much people in your room when you woke up. Plus they’ve been searching for traces of the Caretaker. “

“They won’t find any. He’s probably back in his time taking a few months to recover right now. That Sword does wonders I swear.”

The sword in question was currently on Bart’s beside table.

“It’s also really creepy,” Dick retorted, “the sword floated next to you the whole time we were transporting you. We thought it might impale you or something, but apparently not.  It just really likes you I guess.”

“Who wouldn’t. then again I had its mistress in my head at the time so that might be why.”

“Had?” Damian picked up, “You mean Hecate left? When is she coming back?”

“Oh…she… she’s not. She crossed to the other side or whatever you want to believe the afterlife is about. “

“Oh… that’s sad, she seemed like a nice person. I only had one real conversation with her but I really liked her. “

“Yeah, she was great… but it was her time to go. “

Damian nodded, and Bart thought that would be that, but Dick frowned.

“Wait a minute, if she’s gone, how are you guys going to go home now?”

That was a great question, and they were about to panic again when Bart looked to the sword again and it clicked.

“Oh, that clever little minx, that’s why she left the sword to me instead of , I don’t know, sending it straight where it belonged! That’s our ticket home!”

“That’s a sword Bart.” Wally said deadpanned.

“Yeah, a magic sword!”

Wally didn’t seem convinced. Conner asked concerned:

“Will you be able to know how to make it work?”

“I think so? I kinda feel like it’s engrained in my muscle memory.  I think she planned anything. “

“Smart girl, I would have loved to meet her.” Dick said.

“Now that that’s settled, I’m gonna go  fetch the rest of the team. I’lll be back in a sec.” Conner declared before getting up and out the door. He came back with all the members of the team in tow, and they entered the room timidly, not really knowing what to say or do. They just stood there, staring awkwardly at Bart until Roy decided to speak out:

“So! Apparently, you’re the actual greatest human being who’s ever lived, or so this lot would have me believe. Any comment?”

“uh… I don’t think that’s accurate but… oh hi Roy by the way, nice to see you!”

“It’s starting to get old, you guys knowing me and me not knowing anything about you.”

“Well, you know my name, that I’m from the future and that I’m extremely attractive so there’s that.“

“hm. All very true assessments.”

“See, I knew you would agree.”

“Am I dreaming,” Artemis interrupted, “or is Harper flirting with the time traveling speedster?”

“Believe me Artemis, I’m as disturbed as you are,” Damian said with disgust in his eyes, “you guys better behave, that’s something I never want to have to witness ever again!”

“You’re no fun, you k now that? I already like Allen Jr more than you.”

The indignant betrayed look on Damian’s face made Bart burst out laughing.

“Oh my God Dami can you believe it? You’ve been disowned!”

“You’re the one I’m going to disown you nuisance!”

“Are you guys always like this?” Zatanna asked.

“Always” Dick and Conner answered in unison.

“Anyway,” Kaldur decided to interrupt, “I would like to thank you both on behalf of the team for all you’ve done for us. You’ve done more for us than we could have ever imagined, and we haven’t always been the most grateful.”

“It’s okay Kaldur, we  would have done it no matter what. All of you are important to us. And while you might not know us yet, we know who you are and who you become, and we couldn’t let anything happen to you before you got a chance to grow older and become the versions of yourselves you know. “

“Even me?” Megan said all of a sudden, timidly.

Bart shared a look with Damian who nodded.

“Yes, even you Megan,” Bart continued, “you still have a lot of growing to do, but you’ll get there eventually. And you’ve done something amazing by single handedly saving the team thanks to your powers. I think you’re already on the right path. I’m sure you now understand how to use your power with nuance and intelligence. “

“I… I’m still confused about a lot of things but… I’m willing to learn and I… I’m sorry, for what I’ve done to you…”

‘All is forgiven, isn’t it Dami?”

Damian glared at him before sighing and approaching Megan, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Of course everything is fine. Water under the bridge. I’m also sorry for the explosives, that was petty.”

“It’s okay, I understand your motives…Thank you Damian, you’re a great person, and a loyal friend and brother. I wish I’ll be more like you in the future.”

Damian blushed, not really knowing what to answer to that. Fortunately, Kaldur’s intervention saved him from responding:

“Well, now that we’ve seen Bart, I think we should stop crowding him and let him recover.”

“Yeah, Kaldur’s right, come on let’s go out to eat you guys, Robin's paying!”

“What the heck Harper?! You can’t just volunteer me to cover the bill like that!”

“Just did though.”

“You…”

“Guys, let’s fight outside please, Bart doesn’t need this kind of excitement right now.”

“I kind of live for the drama though.”

“it’s not good for your health. Come on out with you lot!”

Most of them followed Kaldur out after saying goodbye to Bart. Dick came to drop a big sloppy kiss on his cheek, probably trying to embarrass him and failing, Bart was never ashamed of receiving affection. Conner just squeezed his shoulder with a smile and a wink. Soon, there was only Damian and Wally left in the room.

“You should go with them Dami,” Bart said casually, “it might be one of the last time you get to hang out with them like this.”

“are you trying to get rid of me Allen?”

“nonsense, you know I love having you around, but I also know you probably didn’t take care of yourself properly while I was passed out. You probably didn’t eat or sleep and let the worry eat you away. You need to relax. “

“I don’t want you to be left alone though.”

“He won’t be,” Wally said suddenly, “I’ll stay with him. I did promise to always take care of him so I’ll do just that. .”

Damian wasn’t exactly thrilled with having to leave, but knew seeing him around looking worried would probably make Bart feel bad, and so he nodded.

“If you need anything call me okay? I’ll bring you something back to eat.”

“Okay mum.”

“You’re insufferable.” Bart shook his head before envolpping Bart in a tight hug. “Don’t get kidnapped again while I’m gone or this time I’m not coming for you.”

“I’ll try not to. Have fun with the team.”

Damian nodded again, then clapped Wally on the back in  passing, telling him to take good care of Bart, and he was gone. Bart turned his attention on his cousin.

“So! You wanna watch Star wars and eat the rest of the cookies?”

Wally lit up .

“My dear Bart, you couldn’t have found a better idea if you tried. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awww I'll miss Hecate tbh. I lowkey ship her and Bart as a Brotp. they're so cute.  
> Next Chapter: baby birds and bug. and maybe perhaps a semi-kryptonian we'll see.


	18. I'll be your friend (I'll help you carry on)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically just a fluff fest ft my new favorite trio, all the bat babies, and Bart. also some Bart feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop writing.  
> I have all those ideas and tbh I really want to be done with this story.  
> while I love it, it has sometimes been hard to write it and now that I know where I'm going I want to get it over with.  
> plus I have a lot of ideas to expend on (some of them having to do with this story and hhow the timeline will diverge from the main one now that it's been altered. lots of ideas that will have their roots in those final chapters.)
> 
> HOPE YOU ENJOY A BIT OF FLUFF MY LOVES

_Bart’s Journal, Entry 6_

Life’s been pretty calm the past two days. Not a lot of missions, not that I got to participate of course, Damian barely lets me get out of bed anyway. All in all, it’s been pretty chill.

It would probably had gotten boring if I hadn’t had so much company. I’m literally never alone.  All the team takes turn to keep me company, it’s been great. I had a particularly nice afternoon yesterday with the ladies, they pampered me like a prince. Eve, Artemis was a lot more gentle than usual.

Dick hasn’t been there as often, but I know it’s because he’s spending time with the kids at the Manor. Bruce wants to be a hundred percent sure the Caretaker isn’t coming back any time soon before sending Tim and Jaime back to their respective homes. Not that they’re complaining, they’re having the time of their lives. According to Dickie, the both of them have taken to each other like glue, which doesn’t surprise me. More surprising is that they’ve also taken to Jason. They follow him around like lost puppies, amazed at everything he says and does, like he’s the coolest guy they’ve ever met. And even more shocking, Jason doesn’t seem bothered by it. He actually genuinely likes the boys and feels comfortable spending time with them. That’s a change I  never saw coming, but honestly I don’t feel like  worrying about the time stream about it. It’s a good thing.

I’ll finally get to go and visit them this evening. I’ve been officially released from bed rest, hallelujah! Of course I’m still forbidden from using my speed, but I’m confident I’ll be cleared for that too in no time.

Wally hasn’t left our home since I woke up. He’s been making my meals, doing my laundry, honestly I think he’s taking his role as my father figure a bit too much to heart. I mean, I’m currently more than four years older than him so it doesn’t make any sense. But he seems happy to do it so I let him. We’ve also been talking a lot , about his insecurities, his relationship problems, his fears. I think he’s starting to understand he can’t control everything, and that rushing into everything isn’t always the solution. I’m confident I’ll leave him in a better state of mind then when I arrived and that makes me happy.

I wish I could tell him about what lies ahead for him. If I could prevent his ceasing, it would save everyone a lot of heartache. Same goes for Jason’s death.

But then again, so much has already changed in this alternate timeline. Maybe none of that will ever happen. And if it does well…. Maybe it’s what needs to happen. Maybe if I try to prevent it something even worse is going to happen.

It still breaks my heart to think of what’s about to happen. But I also know I’ll go home to see all of them very much alive and well, and happy, and that’s all I need to know for now.  

 

It’s funny, I’ve been dreaming of nothing but to go back to the future for months now, and now that we’re almost there, a part of me almost doesn’t want to go…

 

 

 

 

_Wayne Manor_

 

Jason had never had real friends before. He’d had buddies he would get into trouble with, but it was more out of mutual necessity than actual friendship. Then he’d gotten taken in by Bruce and, okay, maybe he could consider Dick and Damian his friends, but they were kind of forced to be seeing as he was their brother now. He knew they chose to care for him for himself and not just because Bruce had all but adopted him, but a part of him still felt like it was cheating to call them his friends.

But then he’d met Tim and Jaime. They were younger than him, and very different from him, but somehow, he’d felt comfortable with them instantly. He could tell they were genuinely nice and caring kids with hearts of gold. They also were innocent in a way someone who grew up as a street rat like Jason could never really be. And so a part of him wanted to protect that innocence, to protect them from the world.

He didn’t think that would last in the beginning. He thought they’d grow tired of him, his temper, his bad manners, his odd habits and quirks. But they seemed to find him interesting and fascinating no matter what. They seemed to be really happy to get to be friends with him, and he was happy to have friends to.

So he’d gone to Bruce and told him that he wanted them to be around, even when they wouldn’t have to stay here as protection. He’d anticipated that Bruce would tell him it wasn’t possible, that this wasn’t how this family worked, that he had to forget about friendships if he wanted to be part of this family, if he wanted to become Robin. But Bruce had just nodded and said:

“Of course, they’ll always be welcomed here. They’re good kids, and it’s good that you’re making friends.”

And Jason, who’d been ready to fight, like he usually was when it came to Bruce, was left gobsmacked and a bit lost as to what to answer.

“You mean… you’re not going to tell me that I shouldn’t get distracted and should focus on my training?”

“Why would I do that? You’re a kid. You’re allowed to be a kid. You4re allowed to have friends to hang out with. The fact that they know our secret identities help of course. But even if they didn’t. for a long time Barbara didn’t know and she still came over to hang out with Dick. I know he often says I’m a recluse vampire, but this isn’t actually the case, you’re aware? And my intention isn’t to turn you into a heartless soldier. I took you in because I want you to have a chance at a better life. That comes with making friends and being happy.”

“I….I see. Okay I guess…Thanks.”

Bruce awkwardly tapped his head, and Jason didn’t even protest.

“You’re welcome Jason. Now go, you shouldn’t keep your friends waiting.”

“Right, they’re probably wandering in the manor trying to find the Batcave as we speak, Tim is obsessed with finding it for some reason. See you later dad!”

Jason didn’t even realize what he’d just said, but Bruce did. If he’d turn around, he’d seen the billionaire frozen in shock and emotion.

 

Jason found the duo indeed wandering in the corridors, Tim looking everywhere for a passage way while dragging a clearly not amused Jaime by the arm behind him.

“I leave you guys for five minutes, and this is what you get yourselves up to.”

“Oh thank God you’re here Jay! Tim won’t let me rest, he’s decided I had to help him in his quest! I just want to sleep! Please save me!”

Jason chuckled as Jaime broke free from Tim’s grip and ran to Jason to hide behind him.

“Timmy, I thought we said you wouldn’t disturb Jaime’s precious nap time anymore? You know the baby needs  his sleep.”

“He’s slept enough! I need to find the batcave and since you refuse to tell me where it is, Jaime has to help me! Or well, more like be there for moral support, because so far he hasn’t given me any suggestions.”

“Because I don’t know and I don’t want to! I don’t want to anger Mr. Bruce by breaking into his super secret superhero headquarters!”

Jaime had taken to calling bruce Mr. Bruce as the man had told him Mr. Wayne was too formal but he still had too much respect and admiration to outright call him Bruce. Tim on the other hand had gotten pretty comfortable with the name.

 

“I’m pretty sure at this point, Bruce would be more amused than anything. He actually likes it when Tim discovers things. Alfred says it’s because it reminds him of himself at the same age.”

“See? It’s okay! Now  let’s go back!”

“But I don’t wanna! I’m tired! We’ve looked all over the manor and it’s so huge my feet hurt! Can’t we do something else? Jay pleaaaase!”

While Jaime was a bit older than Tim, he was less into acting mature than his counterpart, and wasn’t against using his puppy dog eyes and pout to get Jason to do what he wanted. Good thing he only did it for harmless things like getting Tim off his back.

“Come on Timmy, give up. Let’s go watch a movie or something. “

“… Harry Potter?”

“Again?! “

“What, I love Harry Potter!”

“Ugh, fine, but we’re watching Prisonner of Azkaban. It’s the only one I’d watch over and over again without getting bored. “

 

Tim shouted in joy, and Jaime let out a sigh of relief, letting his forehead rest  on Jason’s back.

They were halfway through the film, Tim watching intently while eating popcorn and occasionally squeezing Jason’s hand to death when the dementors appeared (he was deathly afraid of them) and Jaime on the other side of Jason drifting in and out of sleep, his head falling on Jason’s shoulder, when they got visitors. It was Dick coming back with Damian in Bart in tow. Jason had spilled the truth to his to companions about the time travelers by accident so they knew about their real identities, which didn’t change a lot for them since they weren’t exactly part of the superhero life. It just made them even cooler in their eyes.

As soon as they saw them enter, suddenly Jaime was wide awake and tripping over himself to run to Bart and jump  in his arms. Bart caught him with ease, laughing softly.

“You’re okay! I was so scared when you didn’t come back! You’re really okay right? Wait, did I hurt you right now? I didn’t think sorry Dios Mio I’m so dumb sometimes I…”

“Jaime! It’s okay cariño, I’m alright I promise, you did nothing wrong.”

“oh… good! I missed you you know? I missed you too Damian of course but… I was scared I wasn’t see you again.”

“Nonsense! You think it’s so easy to get rid of me, no way! Besides, you still have future me to look forward to.”

“oh, that’s right! So… that means you know me in the future? And we’re close?”

“Very close yes. You’re one of my favorite people on Earth. “

Jaime blushed at that and he could hear Jason and Tim snicker behind hiim, but he tried not to pay attention to it.

“What about me,” Tim asked in turn, “Are we going to be very close too ? is that why you bought me that much ice cream?”

“No, it was mostly so you would shut up. But yes Timmy, we’re going to be great friends in the future. “

“you’re basically platonic soulmates,” Damian added nonchalantly.

Tim seemed pretty pleased with that, and Jaime couldn’t help but feel jealous. Of who, he couldn’t exactly tell you. Jason interrupted the whole ordeal to say:

“Well, we’re watching the third Haryr Potter right now, if you want to join us.”

“Oh! I still remember the first time I watched the whole series!” Bart reminisced, “Timmy and Jaime fought for a whole hour on whether I was a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff. Not gonna spoil who won but it was intense. “

“I could see you in both to be honest,” Damian shrugged, “me on the other hand, I’m clearly a Slytherin, and Pottermore can choke. Putting me in Hufflepuff, what has this website been drinking?”

Dick and Bart looked at each other amused, shooking their heads.

“Come on, let’s all sit down and watch this thing, I wanna see Sirius Black!”  Dick  exclaimed while inserting himself between Jason and Tim, putting arms around both their shoulders. Damian sat on the other side of Tim while Bart sat next to Jaime who was more than happy to latch onto him and share his popcorn with him. Jason instantly noticed the puppy crush his friend arbored for the older speedster, and turned to Dick to whisper:

“Jaime and Bart, in the future, something’s gonna happen isn’t it?”

Dick gave him a mysterious smile as an answer and that was all he needed. He’d have to look forward to that, and to make sure this other version of Bart was good enough for his friend. After all, he was under his protection now. They both were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Robin comes out to Conner, and Dick comes out to Wally


	19. You Wont Ever Be Alone (Wait For Me To Come Home)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Art of Coming Out by Richard J. Grayson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is getting out of hand. It's 2:39 PM where I'm from and I still can't stop writing.  
> Anywho, this chapter is very interesting in my opinion. there are a lot of different element, some foreshadowing for my future project, also some foreshadowing for things that happened in the texfic lol (I mean y'all know when i start wuoting Ed Sheeran in the title it's about to go down Birdflash style.)  
> Anyway I can't wait to hear your thoughts about this one, and at the same time I'm a bit scared cause I'm playing with fire a bit lol.  
> Hope you enjoy xxx

The team had gone on their first mission as a full team since the Caretaker, and probably their last mission with Bart and Damian. It had gone really smoothly, they were a well iled machine at this point.

Dick had just changed back into civilian clothes, and was going back to the common area, where he found Wally and Artemis making out on the couch. ‘seems like they finally made up’ he thought as he smiled sadly and a bit bitterly. Despite the heartbreak he was feeling, he was genuinely happy for Wally. He knew this had been weighing him down for a while, having Artemis give her the silent treatment because he wouldn’t compromise on his time with Dick anymore. No matter how much he would love to have Wally all to himself, hedidn’t want to be the reason for his break up and subsequent suffering. And it seemed he wouldn’t have to be, cause Artemis had finally understood that she needed to share. Something Dick could sympathize with, he’d had to learn the exact same thing when they started dating.

He sighed as he redirected himself to the kitchen where he found Conner reading a book while waiting for the water for his tea to boil. When he saw him enter, he took one look at Dick’s face and seemed to guess what was wrong instantly.

“Fleeing the lovey dovey couple too?”

“How’d you guess?”

“they’ve been at it for twenty minutes now. I’ve decided to make this kitchen my new home. You’re welcome to stay and share it with me.”

“I’m touched, really, I might take you up on the offer.”

“we’d make great bunker mates I’m sure. Tea?”

Dick shrugged. “Why the heck not. “

Conner served him a cup before serving himself, and they started drinking in silence. Suddenly, Conner broke It to say.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? About what?”

“About you, having to witness the one you love with someone else. I know I can’t exactly do anything about it but still, it sucks.”

“… You know.”

“Of course I know. It was obvious from the very start. I think I’ve always known.”

“And you… you don’t have a problem with it?”

“No, why would I? Oh you mean, because Wally’s a boy? No that doesn’t bother me. I don’t really care who you fall for, boy or girl or anything in  between, it doesn’t matter. Plus it would be pretty hypocritical of me.”

“Wait… you mean…”

“I’m not as straight as you all seem to think no. I mean, I do love girls of course, but boys aren’t so bad either. “

“Oh... that’s… that’s great… I didn’t think… I thought…”

“You thought you were alone. You’re not. I have your back. On the field and outside, all the same. You’re one of my best friends Robin, you know? I’m sorry I never told you. I’m not exactly great with talking about my feelings.”

“it’s… it’s alright Kon. I … you’re one of my best friends too, and I’m grateful for you. “

Conner gave him a small smile, before continuing.

“So, what do you plan on doing? About Wally I mean.”

“Nothing. There’s nothing to do. He’s with someone else, and it would be selfish of me to jeopardize that just to see if I have a small chance of something happening. I don’t want to hurt either of them like that.”

“I get that. It still sucks though. I’d like to be able to do something, anything, to make it easier. Before Damian and Bart got here, I could see how unhappy you were all the time. I didn’t know how to approach you about so I didn’t say anything and I’m sorry about that.”

“You couldn’t have done anything. I wasn’t ready to accept it at the time. Now I am. It still sucks a bit but far less than before. “

“Still though… you’re an amazing person Robin. And I want you to get the love you deserve to have. “

He looked so earnest and genuine saying this, looking right through Robin’s sunglasses even though he couldn’t see his eyes, that Dick felt himself getting a bit choked up. He didn’t know what he didn’t to deserve someone like Conner in his life.

“….Kon.”

“Yes Robin?”

 

Dick inhaled deeply, before slowly taking off his sunglasses. His blue eyes met Conner’s.

“My name is Richard John Grayson. I grew up in the circus and my parents and I were acrobats. When I was eight my parents were murdered by a mob boss who sabotaged their trapezes because the director of the circus wouldn’t let him extort us.  I watch as my mum and dad fell to their death. I was taken in by Bruce Wayne, the billionaire, as  he’d been there when the fall happened and he could sympathize with me, being an orphan and having seen his parents being murdered too. I soon learned that Bruce was actually Batman, and that he was tracking down my parents’ murderer. I wanted to help, and so I did. When we finally put him behind bars, Bruce asked me if I wanted to keep fighting to protect the innocent and make sure justice was served. I said yes. I became Robin, which was the nickname my mother gave me as a child. From that point on, Robin became my main focus. Dick Grayson was more of a cover. But it’s still my real name, and you deserve to know it. You’ve proven you were a loyal friend time and time again, and I should have showed you I was truly appreciative of that loyalty a long time ago. So here you go, allow me to introduce myself again: Hi, I’m Dick Grayson, it’s really nice to meet you.”

Conner looked at the hand Dick was offering him to shake dumbfounded for a few seconds, before taking it in both of his, and instead of shaking it, holding  it as he kept looking into Dick’s eyes:

“You have no idea how much that means to me, Dick.  I’ll make sure I always stay worthy of you trust. “

Dick smiled at him in return, a smile full of trust and affection.

This very beautiful moment was interrupted by the sudden arrival in the kitchen of Wally who didn’t understand what was going on, that’s for sure.

“What… what are you guys… doing exactly?”

Dick and Kon barely registered him speaking and kept smiling happily at each other, Conner not having let go of Dick’s hand yet, until he finally decided to release it, took the glasses on the table and carefully put them back on Dick’s nose.

“There you go, you’re Robin again!” he said humorously,lightly tapping his cheek as Dick giggled.

Then he got up, saying:

“I’ll leave you two to it, I have to go talk to Kaldur about my next mission. Have fun.”

“sure, see you later! Oh and Kon? “ Dick added as Conner turned back to him “Thank you. For everything.”

“it was no trouble at all, anytime Dick.”

Then he left, fist bumping a confused Wally on the way. As soon as he was gone, Wally closed the door and rushed to sit  where Kon had sat previously, a hundred questions in his mind.

“What just happen? Did you just tell Sups your secret identity? And were you holding hands just now? And was Sups SMILING?! Like, genuinely smiling, all soft and shit?”

“yes. To all of that.”

“I… wow. Since when are you and Kon living the bromance of the century exactly?”

“Probably since forever, we just didn’t know it yet. “

“I… Why did you decide to tell him all of a sudden?”

“I just felt like it was the right time. It just came naturally. I trust him after all; I don’t feel the need to hide from him anymore.”

“That’s… I’m so happy for you Dickie, I know how much this secret is weighing you down. Does this mean you’ll tell the rest of the team too?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably do that soon. I mean, Roy knows and he’s not even in the team, and now that Tim and Jaime are in the confidence, I don’t think Bats will really force me to keep it from the team. “

“That’s great. I’m proud of you, you know? You’ll finally get to be you without any secrets.”

Dick squirmed uncomfortably hearing this. He contemplated staying silent, but thomught against it. He was done being scared, and he was done hiding that part of himself to Wally.

“ There’s still one more secret I need to share with you.”

“Oh? Well, you know you can tell me anything right?”

Dick laughed nervously, but somehow, he was honest when he said:

“Yeah, I do know that.”

“Well then, I’m listening, if you’re ready to tell me of course. “

“…. I’m bisexual.”

“…Oh.”

“Yeah, and I know, it’s a lot to process but I just want you to know this doesn’t change anything, I’m still me, I’m still the same and I won’t suddenly become someone else just cause now you know because…”

“Yo, Dick. Calm down. Of course you’re still the same, I know that. “

“You… you do?”

“Yes of course! You really think I’d let something as dumb as who you like change how I see you? If learning you were the ward of a famous billionaire didn’t manage to do that, nothing will. Unless you tell me you’re actually a dangerous sociopath hell bent on world domination, maybe then I’ll slightly reevaluate my opinion of you. But only slightly I promise. “

“Good to know I’ll still have at least one friend if I join the dark side, I’ll keep that in mind. “

“Of course I’ll still be your friend! I might have to arrest you once or twice, but I’ll come see you in jail, we’ll be like Magneto and Professor X, that’ll be epic!”

“I see you’re pretty on board with the idea of me becoming a supervillain.” Dick remarked, deadpan.

“You gotta admit it’d be pretty fun. But seriously though, I mean it when I say there’s nothing you can say or do that would make me abandon you. I told you a few months ago that I never want to lose you, and that’s still true. You know how sometimes people have that one person that they have to have in their lives no matter what? You’re my person. And I will always love you and care for you, no matter what.”

Dick was starting to grow tired of tears. He’d cried far too many times this year. So he just swallowed those as much as he could.

“You’re my person too Walls, and even whe we’re ninety I’ll always be there for you if you need me. “

“You better be, I’m gonna be a really needy ninety years old.” Wally joked before embracing Dick in the biggest hug he’d ever given him, which was a pretty amazing feat considering he always gave him the biggest hugs known to mankind. And for the first time in months, Dick actually felt  certain that everything would end up working out just great for them, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Going home.


	20. Last Entry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they get home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yup, still not done spamming your inboxes with notifications!  
> So. I had to reeavulate my previos staement about not having more than 22 chapters lol. I made a list (cause lists are great) of what I still had to write and even with compiling them so I wouldn't have to write too many chapters left I still ended up with a total chapter count of 23. so yeah basically you can look forward to three more chapter, plus probably an author's note abotu what's next. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to end this whole story tomorrow, maybe even today if I don't end up passing out from exhaustion lol.  
> Anyway enjoy a bit of Robpulse bromance my darlings!

_Bart’s Journal, Entry 7 (featuring Damian)_

The last few days in the past have gone smoothly. We spent as much time as we could with the team, and at the manor. It finally began to feel like the “vacations” Hecate had promised it would be in the beginning.

A lot’s changed now. Dick finally decided to pass the Robin mantle down to Jason who’s been ecstatic about it and running around in his costume half of the time. Dick for his part finally donned the Nightwing cowl. I’ll admit I got a bit emotional seeing him in it the first time, and I’ve never seen Damian prouder in my life.

He’s been spending more and more time with Conner. Something shifted in their relationship ever since he told him his secret identity. I think it’s a good think. They’ve matured so much faster this time around that they’re already on the same page.

Tim and Jaime finally got to go home. They were a bit sad to have to leave each other and Jason, but Jay promised them they’d see each other as often as possible, and that they could always call or text him when they needed. I’m actually sad I’ll never get to see how this trio develops in the future. They’re the actual cutest and they make my heart burst.

Megan decided to take a leave of absence from the team for two or three month so she could go learn more about her powers and the best way to use them. everyone was supportive. I think her having to keep everyone’s nightmares at bay made her reflect on the fragility of the psyche. I think she’s looking into finding a way to use her power for healing purposes more and more. I’m very proud of her. The fact that she’s doing that for herself and not in a  desperate attempt to get back with Conner is also a plus.

Artemis apologized to Wally for getting mad at him the past few weeks. He was so relieved. He doesn’t know it, but Damian talked to her. He has a way of making people see things from other perspectives, and Artemis likes him well enough that she’d listen to him. When I asked him why he decided to help them out even though it meant they would probably stay together and Dick would suffer, he told me that being in the middle of Wally’s and Artemis’ feud would make him suffer even more. That kid is so wise it’s not even funny.

 

On our Farewell party, I had a talk with Kaldur. He thanked me for helping him become more comfortable with his leadership role and always putting my trust in him. I don’t know if he’s just humble or if he genuinely doesn’t see he was born to do this. But in any case, I’m happy if I was able to help even a little bit.

_Are you kidding Allen? You’ve done nothing but support him and boost his confidence since you got here, of course you helped. He was constantly doubting his every move, and here you come, barging in with your optimism and faith. Being a good Leader is hard, but it’s even harder without a great Right Hand Man. And you’re an amazing one. Stop hitting me I’m giving you the journal back! I just needed to say that._

Ignoring the disrespectful brat who steals my things from my hands _you’re unbearable_ I guess it’s true… I’m pretty good at being a right hand man.  Good thing I plan on being Damian’s one day. _I beg your pardon?_

Well I did say Kaldur was born to do this, but he’s not the only one. You are too. And one day, maybe soon, you’ll get to show off that potential. And I will be glad to be by your side and make sure you never feel alone up there.

 

For anyone reading this, just know that the baby just started hugging me as soon as I finished writing that sentence _don’t write that!_ Too late.

 

Anyway, after saying our goodbyes to everyone, very emotional ones at that, we finally went on our way. I manage to open a rift with the sword on my first try! Can you believe it?  And this is how our adventure ended. We got back to our home, to our family. Apparently we only disappeared for a  week. Everyone was still worried sick of course, and we nearly got suffocated to death by all the hugs, but all is well that ends well.

After the frantic reunion, we sat everyone down in the Manor and told them everything that had happened to us. We told them about the Caretaker and how Caleb needed to be protected. Everyone instantly started to make plans regarding that situation, business as usual.

The crisis meeting just ended, and Dami and I just took a few minutes away from everyone so we could readjust a bit. I thought it might be good to write in the journal for the last time. To put the final period on this adventure before we go back to our lives. I know I said in the beginning that this situation was a nightmare, and honestly I meant it at the time. But come to think of it, it wasn’t that bad. I would even say we had an amazing time. _Sure, if we forget the time you got kidnapped and then fell into a coma. Moron._  Always so negative! All in all, we had fun right partner? _I guess we did partner._

Until next time,

 

B.A. and D.W.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Damian and his Superboys


	21. A Robin and Two Supers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian is enjoying life and finally resting in the arms of his loving boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're nearing the end my darlings! I finished this one hours ago, so long ago in fact I'vez nearly finished the next one already!  
> it's a short one, but I think it's cute so I hope you enjoy! x

Damian was in a state of pure happiness as he woke up that morning in his room in the Manor, the sun shining on his face and his boyfriend in his arms still fast asleep, a tight grip on his waist.  

Jon had been adamant on not letting Damian out of his sight once he’d come back, not that Damian was complaining. For Jon, it had been one agonizing week full of worry, but for Damian, it had actually been months since he’d last seen his darling boyfriend. 

Not wanting to wake him when he looked so breathtakingly beautiful and cute, Damian decided not to move, content with just lying there, until he heard his phone vibrate on the bedside table. Sighing, he extended his arm to catch it and saw it was Conner calling him. Wondering what he wanted, he still answered.

“Hello?”

“Oh hey Dami, I was just calling to give you a heads up, your brothers are plotting to kidnap you sometime today. I thought you might like to prepare mentally for that.”

Damian rolled his eyes.

“I should have known they would be up to something like that. Thanks for the warning though.”

“Yeah, no problem, I know you’re not one for surprises. Is Jon still with you?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s not letting me out of his sight any time soon.”

“Figures. You gave us quite the scare, you and Bartie. We’ve probably looked all over the world for you guys. We were planning on checking out space soon. “

“but none of you thought about checking the past. I’m disappointed.”

“Well we couldn’t possibly have guessed now could we? I still can’t believe you’ve been in  the past for seven months! That’s absolutely crazy. You must have gone insane trying to get back home.”

“In the beginning yes. But then we kind of got comfortable there; of course we couldn’t wait to get home but it wasn’t that bad. I still missed Jon like crazy though.”

“I get you. So. You met a younger version of the team. How was that?”

“It was…. interesting. I got into a lot of fights in the beginning. Especially with you. We did not get along one bit.”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I was pretty hard to deal with back then.”

“That’s one way to put it. But we got to an understanding eventually. By the time I left we were great friends, even though you would always tease me about me being your future brother in law. “

“yep, sounds like me alright. It’s strange to think about. I haven’’t thought about how far we’ve ccome in a while, but we have come so far. And now you’ve seen it for yourself. I can’t imagine the team with you and a 22 year old Bart. That doesn’t compute in my brain.”

“yet somehow it worked out just fine. Hey Kon?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad you’re my brother-in-law twice over. I couldn’t ask for a better one honestly. And thank you, for always showing up when I need you. “

“Of course punk, always. I’mma leave you to it now. Let you appreciate your time with my baby bro before you get taken away by an army of birds. “

“Ugh don’t remind me! Those guys are dangerous for my mental health.”

“I shouldn’t agree with you but I honestly do. Alright see you later brat.”

“yeah, later.”

 

He hung up . he felt Jon stir up in his arms and he heard him yawn before he said in  a groggy voice:

“mh… hi babe, who was that on the phone?”

Damian kissed his cheek before answering.

“Your brother warning me of my family’s plan to take me away today.”

“Over my dead body!” Jon protested, suddenly awake. Damian chuckled.

“My hero. We could always go hide away somewhere to avoid them.”

“Yeah sure, we’ll do that. Eventually. But not now, I’m comfy.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Hey, not my fault you’re the best pillow/ teddy bear ever! Besides, I missed you. “

“I missed you more. And it’s not even an exaggeration this time.”

“I’ll let you have this one, seven months? I wouldn’t have been able to cope. “

“I nearly didn’t. Thank God Bart was there to distract me.”

“Bart is the best period. You must have had some fun though right? Meeting everyone as literal babies? Your brothers especially!”

“Oh don’t get me started on them! Dick was an annoying little brat who followed me everywhere I went ! and sometimes he acted like an emo teenager with an identity crisis. Tim was an actual menace, the kid wouldn’t stop trying to discover every secrets of the universe! Honestly, Jason was the least problematic.”

“…seriously?”

“Well yeah, I mean, he was a punk, but I knew how to handle him so it was easy. But to be honest… I kind of liked being the big brother for once.  It made me appreciate what they’ve done for me over the years even more. “

“That’s cute. You’re cute. “

“You’re cuter baby. “

“agree to  disagree. I would have liked to see that though. It must have been so interesting. “

“It was. it gives you a new perspective on how everyone ended up and how much they had to fight to get there. But at the same time, I’d rather be right here with you. “

Jon smiled and kissed him.

“That’s good to hear, because I’d rather you stay here with me too. Now come on, let’s go get breakfast I’m starving. Hey, do you think Alfred made those blueberry muffins I like?”

“He probably did since you’re here, you know you’re his favorite.”

“Nah, Roy is his actual favorite cause they exchange recipes. Roy is also Bruce’s favorite. Honestly I’m pretty jealous.”

“Well, you’re my favorite so there’s that.”

“ Eh, I’ll take it.”

Damian laughed the way only Jon could make him laugh, then took his hand as they left the room to go downstairs, happiness never leaving him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Bart comes clean and keeps his promise


	22. Amelia And The Time Traveler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bart has a conversation with the Pond to his Doctor before finally getting his TARDIS and... something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly wasn't sure I would ever finish this chapter with all the CRAP I HAD TO GO THROUGH THE PAST FEW HOURS!  
> I need to calm down .   
> Anyway yay second to alst chapter! I'm excited! I really like this one§ I think none of you will see what's going to happen coming cause tbh it wasn't supposed to happen at all I just felt like it all of a sudden lol.  
> I truly do hope you enjoy this one x

The first thing Bart had done that morning was to go pick up Cupcake from Dick and Wally’s. he’d been anxious to see the dog again after the illusion. He’d taken him out to the park, playing with him and giving all the love and attention. Then, on the way home, he’d decided to make a quick stop to a special place.

They stopped in front of an apartment door and Bart knocked nervously. A few seconds later, a confused Amy opened the door.

“Can I help y… oh, hi Bartie! What a surprise, I didn’t know you were coming! And who’s this beautiful little buddy?”  she asked as she crouched down to pet Cupcake.

“Hi Ames, I’m sorry to come unannounced like that but I was in the neighborhood and I thought, why not stop by? Oh, and that’s my dog Cupcake! Well technically he’s my cousin and his husband’s dog, but I did help raising him plus I named him so.”

“I see. Your cousin is the one that’s also your brother/ uncle/ father isn’t he?”

“Yup, now you’re starting to get it!”

“It only took me like, three years! Let’s not stay in the hallway like that, come on in !”

 

Bart did as told. He hadn’t been here in a while. This used to be the place Amy shared with Nathan. But Nate and Simon had decided to move in together in their own place in the beginning of third year, and now Amy was on her own. She’d thought about renting the other available room since she owned the apartment, but she’d rather leave it available in case Nate wanted to crash here. For the first time, Bart wondered if she ever felt lonely living all alone like this, and he felt guilty for not thinking about it before.

They sat down in the living room, and Cupcake decided to lay down at Amy’s feet, already taking a liking to her, and fell asleep as she stroked his head fondly.

“He’s adorable. I’ve always loved dogs,  but I only ever had cats in my family. I still loved my babies of course but I would have loved a dog. “

“I see what you mean. Having a dog is great. I miss seeing Cupcake everyday now that I moved out. “

“it must be hard yes. So. According to Nate you went MIA for a week? He was very worried.”

“Oh, right, forgot Jaime must have told him. Yeah, something came up and I was… stuck, kind of. No means of communication and all that.”

“Sounds rough. I’m glad you’re okay. “

“ thanks. It wasn’t all bad though. I met some interesting people there. “

“Oh, really? “

“Yeah, really. “

Bart looked down at his knees, trying to figure out the best way to approach this conversation.

“I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days. About secrets. “

“Secrets?” she asked, confused.

“yeah, secrets. You know how they say friends shouldn’t have any secrets for each other? Well, I think sometimes it’s something you can’t really do without. Sometimes you have to hide parts of you for everyone’s sake. I’m sure you’d agree.”

“I…I do but… I don’t see where you’re going with this.”

“I’m saying this because, well, I have a lot of secrets. Secrets that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Secrets I’m not able to tell most of the time. And because of those secrets, now I… now I know yours. “

“w… I… what?”

“I know who you are Amelia Hope. Who you really are. What you’ve been through and why. And I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

And with that, he made the sword appear. She jumped at the sudden appearance, waking up Cupcake who looked around, alarmed. Then, she finally recognized it.

“….καταιγίδα… »

« The one and only. »

“I… I don’t… how… How can you… How did you get that sword?”

“Hecate gave it to me. “

Amy paled at the mention of the name.

“You… how do you know her name?”

“it’s a really long story, but I’m willing to tell you everything right now if you want. I’m warning you though, it’s not going to be easy. “

“I don’t care. I want to know. I’m ready. “

And so he told her. He told her everything about who he was, where he came from, how he got here; he told her about the superhero world, his friends and family. Then he told her about his trip to the past, how he met his sister, how they became friends and how she had entrusted him to take care of her and bring her the sword.

She cried a lot. She cried hearing about Bart’s past , her big heart and empathy making her feel so sad for what he’d been through. She cried hearing about her sister still being stuck on Earth for years and not being able to see her, but always being here, watching over her. She cried hearing about her finally going away. When the tears started flowing, Cupcake had instantly  jumped on the couch to try and comfort her, and she was now cuddling with the dog as she tried to compose herself. As devastated as she looked, she was also extremely adorable like that and Bart was caught between feeling his heart breaking for her and an extreme urge to coo.

“So… so that kid… the one my family is supposed to protect, the one I’M supposed to protect… he’s from your extended family?”

“Yup, Caleb is basically my nephew. He’s a great kid, you’ll like him I’m sure.”

“I…. I can’t believe it… my family has been waiting for this kid for centuries… and now he’s here… and I’m the only one left to take on the duty of protecting him… I… I’m so sorry… it was never supposed to be me, I’m not good enough for this task… I’ll do everything I can but… I don’t think it will be enough… I’m not well trained, I had to train myself… I’ve never learned to fight, I’m just… oh God…”

 

Bart could recognize the panic attack pretty easily and was quick to  react. In a second, he was next to the girl, helping her even out her breathing.

“It’s okay Amy, it’s alright I promise you. You’re not alone alright? You’ll never be alone again. You’ll be one of us from now on. And we protect our own. You might have to take care of Caleb, but the rest of us, we’ll take care of you. You won’t have to bear the burden on your own you hear me? That’s not how we do things . “

“I… I’m sorry… I just… I’ve been hiding myself for so long… ever since Hecate passed away I… I locked this part of myself away, never to be seen. I thought… I always knew I wasn’t meant to be the one to take on this mantle. I was never meant to swing this sword. I’m just… I’m just the only one left…”

 

The only one left. That’s what Bart had been too, once upon a time. Neither of them were supposed to become saviors, but sometimes life doesn’t give you a choice.

“it’s not about being born a certain way, or being the right person for the job. What matters is your own drive, your desire to do good, to make sure what happened to you won’t ever happen to anyone else again. It’s about become what the world needs, because everyone else it had isn’t there anymore. I’m not going to tell you it’s easy, I won’t tell you you won’t doubt yourself constantly. But don’t think you’re not good enough for the job, because the truth is, no one is. You learn to be.  And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you’re a quick learner. “

Amy nodded but didn’t answer, letting herself be consoled and soothed by Bart. After a while, she finally said.

“I’m not ready to have the sword yet. It’s… it’s too early. Do you think you could… hold it for me, for a while? “

“Oh… of course. Take your time. It’s not that easy, to be asked to fill someone else’s shoes. “

“Especially not Hecate’s… I miss her so much… “

 

And Bart couldn’t say anything to that, knowing there was nothing to do or say that could make it better. Amy followed:

“You know, when I met you, I thought you might be a wizard.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah. You had those strange quirks and the way you spoke was odd, plus you always seemed to have this energy buzzing out of you. Of course, coming from a magical family, it was easier for me to come to this conclusion than to think you were a time traveling speedster from the future.”

“Ah, I can see how that would look more plausible to you.”

“Yeah. I was wondering for a while if you were a sign of the universe that I should go back to my roots. And in a way I was right. You were a sign, only not from the universe. It’s funny how things work out. “

“yeah, sometimes…”

Silence fell between them. Then, Bart remembered something.

“You were right by the way, the whole time. “

“I’m often right, but what was I exactly right about this time?”

“When you said there was something going on between Nightwing and Flash. They’re married. “

“HAH! I KNEW IT DAMN IT! But there goes my dream of marrying Nightwing. That’s kind of sad. Wait a second… Nightwing and Flash… they’re Dick and Wally right? OH MY GOD! I SANG AT THEIR WEDDING!”

“Oh right! Almost forgot about that!”

“I CANT BELIEVE IT! BART! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME WHAT IF I MADE A FOOL OF MYSELF?!”

“You didn’t! everyone loved it! “

“I… I can’t believe I’ve probably met the whole Justice League without even knowing it. My life is so strange. “

Bart shrugged.

“and you’re friends with two superheroes, and friendly with two others. Honestly you’re doing pretty well for yourself. “

“W… you mean Jaime, Tim and Conner? Wait! Don’t tell me! Um… Conner is… Superboy! That’s it isn’t it?”

“yup, correct.”

“And Tim is probably one of the mini bats. Red Robin?”

“two for three, you’re on fire!”

“thank you thank you! And Jaime… oh. Of course. ‘My one and only answer will always be Blue Beetle” that’s what you said when I asked you who you’d choose. Anw Bartie that’s so cute! I knew you guys were my OTP for a reason!”

“Don’t let Nate hear you say that, he’ll get jealous. I should probably get going right now, speaking of Jaime. He’s probably waiting for me and stressing over the fact I could have been sent back to the Ice age or something. Are you gonna be alright alone?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll just call Nate and we’ll have a sleepover like when we were eight. I kinda need to tell him I have magic now, he’s gonna be pissed if he learns from someone else . “

“That he will. I’ll come by again tomorrow if that’s okay, and I’ll take you to meet the fam, if you want to of course?”

“Oh… that would begreat, thank you Bartie.”

She kissed him on the forehead, not unlike what her sister had done, then petted Cupcake one last time and they were on their way.

 

He dropped Cupcake off to the Grayson-West household and did his best not to let himself get detained by his two doting father figures who seemed hell bent on keeping him for as long as humanely possible, Dick muttering something about already failing with Damian. He loved spending time with them, but he really wanted to go home to his boyfriend.

 

He finally got to their apartment, and it seemed to be empty at first glance. He couldn’t hear anyone. He passed in front of Tim and Conner’s room, and the door was open, showing they indeed weren’t there. He shrugged and decided to go to his and Jaime’s room, where he fortunately found his boyfriend lying on the bed, headphones on, his eyes closed as he focused on the music.

Bart smiled affectionately before carefully approaching, knowing full well that Jaime was aware of his presence,  and planted a kiss right on his lips, seeing him smile in turn, before lying down next to him.

Jaime took of his headphones and got on his side so he could look at Bart.

“How was your day cariño?”

“it was alright, pretty chill. I spent time with Cupcake and then I went to visit Ames.”

“Oh? And how was our wife?”

“Is she our wife now?”

“Of course she is. It’s been decided.”

“heh, we could do worse than her. She’s okay. I mean, she’s a bit… shaken. I had to tell her everything. “

 

“I see. It must not have been easy to handle.”

“Not really no, but she’s strong. I know she’ll get through it. “

“With you by her side, I’m sure she will. “

Bart nodded.

“What about you? What have you been doing all day?”

“Thinking about you.”

“Ugh stop! “ Bart feigned annoyance while hitting Jaime lightly on the arm. Jaime chuckled and said:

“It’s true though. That’s literally all I’ve been doing all day, lying there thinking about you and waiting for you to come home. “

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I know I am. I keep wondering about what it was like, in the past, meeting all those younger versions of us.  I can’t believe you met twelve year old me!”

“You better believe I did! And now you can’t tease me about my puppy crush on you when I was young, because baby Jaime was very obviously smitten by me!”

“was he? Well, that doesn’t surprise me. I was a pretty intelligent kid, I must have understood instantly we were meant to be.”

“pfft, you hopeless romantic. You were really intelligent though I’l give you that. And the most adorable, I wanted to squish you 24/7 ! even Jason couldn’t resist your cuteness!”

“Jason? What was I doing with Jason so early in the timeline.”

“ugh, don’t ask, this timeline is a mess now. But basically you, Timmy and Jay became instant best friends for life and that was the most precious thing to ever happen.”

“That’s… that’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“You should have seen Bruce being a soft dad then. That was a sight too. Meeting Damian really made him revise his outlook on parenting it seemed. Oh and you know what? Wally was totally jealous of me! Me! Can you believe it? “

“I actually can, who wouldn’t be jealous of you? “ Jaime said with a loving smile, “It seems like you had az lot of fun though, I’m glad. Hey, while you were gone, I got you something.”

“you did?”

“Yeah, let me just…”

He  turned on the other side of the bed to fetch something under the bed. It was a gift box.

“oooooh what is it?”

“Well, open it and you’ll see!”

Bart didn’t need to be told twice.  He tored through the wrapping paper and opened the box to find a replica of the TARDIS inside.

“sweet! I’ve always wanted a TARDIS!”

“I know, you’ve been pestering Dick about it for three years now! I figured it was time you got one. I wanted to give it to you at the end of the road trip but you decided to go on another time travel adventure without me so…”

“hey! I didn’t mean to I’ll have you know!”

“Yeah I know, I’m just messing with you. Anyway I couldn’t wait anymore to give it to you.”

“You’re too sweet! Oh, there’s an inscription on the bottom! ‘to My favorite time traveler, no matter where life takes you, just know I’ll always be waiting for you back home’ awwww Jaimeeee!”

Bart gave him another kiss, a longer one this time.

“You’re always doing all those cute romantic things for me I don’t know what I did to deserve them. “

“You were born. That’s basically it. You should open the door of the TARDIS though. “

“Why? Is it bigger on the inside?”

Hah! I wish. I didn’t have Gallifreyan technology available. No but you know, I didn’t choose this gift just because you’re obsessed with Dr Who and to make a time traveling joke. “

“What’s the other reason?”

“Well, the TARDIS is old, it’s new, it’s borrowed and it’s blue. “

“W…are you… wait….”

“Open the door Bart.”

Bart looked Jaime in the eyes, and all he saw was anticipation and love. He swallowed difficultly, before doing as told and opening the door to find a ring inside.

“Oh my Lord… oh dear is this… is this for real? Are you for real right now?”

“have I ever been known to joke about anything when it came to our relationship?”

“you… I can’t believe… are you honestly proposing right now?”

“Well, I’m trying to at least, but you panicking is kind of delaying it.”

“How am I not supposed to panic? This is huge oh my God I’m getting proposed to, I..”

Jaime cut him off with a kiss, making him melt completely.

“Corazón, please just stay quiet for a few seconds.”

Bart opened his mouth then closed it and nodded.

“Thank you. Here I go.  Bart, by now I’m pretty sure you know how much I love you, at least I hope so, given how many times I tell you a day. We’ve known each other for nearly a decade now, it’s been so long I barely remember my life before you. All I know is that I never want to live a life after you, and I don’t plan on that ever happening. We’ve been through hell and back together, yet no matter what, you always found a way to make me smile, and with you, I always feel like things will be alright. I’m not perfect, but I think I can safely say I make you happy too, and I want to keep doing it until the day I day. So will you let me dedicate my whole life to this task and marry me?”

Bart tried (and failed) to wipe away all the tears before they could fall on his cheeks, before whispering “yes” between two sobs and letting Jaime  put the ring on his finger and wrap him up in a hug.

That night as he fell asleep with his fiancé, he couldn’t help but think about his younger self, the one who couldn’t have ever even dreamed of one day getting married. That little boy who was only fighting to survive, so that one day, today, Bart could finally live, freely and so happily. For the first time ever, thinking about his past self made him smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... so. Who's ready for a Bluepulse Wedding lol  
> tbh I never thought I would end Bart's arc there. I always thought he would end up finally going on his roadtrip with his babe and Superbird but sometimes life works in strange ways...  
> Next Chapter: Holy Trinity of Ships back at it again


	23. Days Of Future Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Superbird, JayRoy and Birdflash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I would like to put a better note but I am currently while writing this living a life changing event so...  
> I'll just put another note tomorrow anyway to tell you some infos.  
> I hope you enjoy x

_Conner’s POV_

When Conner got up to get breakfast that morning, he found Tim and Bart already in the kitchen. Bart looked particularly happy, making pancakes while Tim looked at him suspiciously while eating his cereals.  Conner wasn’t sure what to make of it as he entered the room and kissed his boyfriend good morning before making his presence known to Bart who hadn’t seen him yet:

“Hey Bartie, slept well?” Bart turned around with a smile more blinding than a thousand lights and answered:

“Hi Conner! I slept great thanks! I’m making breakfast for Jaime, you want some pancakes?”

“No thanks I’m good. You look happy.”

“Do I? well, I mean I am so that’s probably why,” he shrugged as he put the last batch of pancakes out of the frying pan and started whistling while he put maple syrup on the very large pile.

Conner sat down next to Tim as they both still stared at Bart while he was arranging the tray of food, adding a mug of coffee, freshly cut pieces of fruit, honestly Bart wasn’t playing around with breakfast.

When he was finally satisfied with how his tray looked, he carefully lifted it  and started moving towards his and Jaime’s room, smiling again as he passed the other couple.

Once he was out of earshot, Tim turned to Conner to say:

“Did you notice that?”

“Notice what?”

“Bart!”

“What about him?”

“You mean you haven’t seen it?”

“What is there to see? I mean he’s even happier than usual but that’s probably just because he’s happy to be back home. “

“You… I can’t believe you! Sure, let’s explain everything away with that! But how do you explain the ring?!”

Conner frowned.

“The ring? “

“THE FREAKING RING CONNER! How could you even miss that?”

“… Bart was wearing a ring?”

“YES!”

“… but… you mean… does this mean…”

“What do you think?”

Okay. That was one surprise Conner hadn’t been ready for, especially this early in the morning. And apparently Tim wasn’t ready either, because he was now muttering to himself like a crazy person.

“um… love? Are you alright?”

“I just… I don’t understand! When did that happen? And why wasn’t I informed? And how did I not guess Jaime was planning on proposing? When did he do it? How? Where? Why? Wait no, I know why, I mean Bluepulse is goals but...”

“Okay, Timmy? I think you should breathe, you’re overreacting a tad bit right now.”

“Overreacting?! Overreacting?! How dare you... Okay maybe I am overreacting I see your point.  But can you blame me? Our babies are getting married!”

“yeah, maybe we shouldn’t call them our babies anymore. Especially since Jaime is older than you. And there’s also the fact that they’re marrying before us.”

“Ugh, I know! So rude! Like, what is it with everyone being in a rush to marry these days? “

“Beats me. I’d rather not add unecessary stress to my life right now. Not that being married to you would be stressful of course but you know, organizing a wedding and trying to survive Alfred’s domination. Yeah I had enough of that for a while. “

“I couldn’t agree more. Maybe with this one Alfred won’t be involved. “

“With how Bart loved every minute of helping him plan Dick and Wally’s wedding, no chance he doesn’t ask him for some help. And no chance he’s saying no either. We better be prepared for the third round of the Apocalypse. “

“Lord have mercy on us.  I keep thinking about it though, we’re not weird right? For not wanting to marry yet?”

“No, we’re perfectly normal. It’s the rest of them that are weird.  There’s nothing wrong with not thinking marriage is the be all end all of our relationship you know?”

“I know but… I see my brothers and now my best friends doing it, making that big commitment and it makes me feel guilty for not being ready to do that. I feel sort of… pressured, to show you that I am committed to you, all the way.”

“You don’t need to marry me to do that. I mean, we live together, we’re raising two pets , we go to each other’s family dinners on a regular basis, if that’s not commitment I don’t know what is.”

“You really mean it? “ Tim asked timidly, still a bit insecure. Kon just kissed him to reassure him before responding:

“Of course I do. I don’t care that you’re not ready to marry. If you end up never wanting to do it, it’s okay too. I just want to be with you.  You make me happy. That’s all that counts don’t you think?”

“I guess… Thanks Kon. I don’t say it often enough but I’m really lucky to have you. “

“Yes you are.”  Conner answered with a mischievous smile, earning himself a playful punch in the arm.

“Doesn’t mean you’re not still an idiot though. Now eat your breakfast and go dress. I’m taking you out today.”

“You are? That’s a surprise. I thought you said no unnecessary outings for a week cause you have exhausted your tolerance for society?”

“Yeah but I wanna go be all cute and romantic with you and I don’t want us to stay here and watch Hercules again.”

“Excuse you, it’s a classic!”

“we’ve watched It at least twenty times in the past six months.”

“hm, true. Going out is actually a good idea. I wanna be cute and romantic with you too.”

“I knew you’d agree.” Tim said with a smile, the kind of smile that always made Conner feel dizzy, no matter how long he’d known him. That kind of smile was worth far more to him than any ring on his finger.

_Roy’s POV_

It was a pretty normal afternoon in the Harper-Todd household.  Roy was sitting down on the couch with a book he wasn’t really paying attention to while Jason was getting attacked by the kids who were playing “Slay the dragon”.  Lian had climbed onto his back while Caleb was hitting him in the legs with a toy sword, if a little bit gentler than his sister would have liked. Caleb was always very careful with not hurting anyone, even when he was playing.

Jason was playing his dragon part perfectly, always giving his all when it came to amusing the children.  Roy couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He had married the right man, he was sure of that.

Seeing his family so happy however did nothing to wash away his worries for the future. Some lunatic was after his son. He knew there was a possibility that people would come avfter Caleb when they decided to take him in, but that someone would go as far as to try to go back in time to kill them so they couldn’t save him? That was another level of crazy.

They’d worked so hard to get to this point.  To get their happy life and family. He would be damned if he’d let the Caretaker take that away from him. From them.

At last, after a long agonizing fight, the dragon finally fell down, effectively slayed. Lian let out a war cry while Caleb giggled before checking to see if his dad was okay, still needing to make sure. Jason took this opportunity to miraculously “rise from the dead” and  grab Caleb to attack him with tickles  which made him explode with laughter while Lian was screaming that she’d save him from the monster.

Roy chuckled  before saying:

“Alright you three, that’s enough excitement for today. Aunties Arty and Zatanna should be here any minute to take you kids to the cinema, you should go make yourselves ready. “

“Okay daddy! “ Lian said enthusiastically, really happy to be seeing her aunts soon, “come on Cal!” she added as she took her little brother’s hand and drug him  with her out of the living room.

Once they were gone, Jason sighed loudly before getting up to launch himself next to Roy on the couch. “

“I swear to God, I’m getting to old for those kinds of games. “

“You’re not even thirty yet you drama queen.”

“Still, I feel like I tire a lot more easily than I used to.”

“Parenting does that to you I’ll admit.”

“True. I won’t complain though, it’s the best job I’ve ever had to do. “

Roy smiled at him and bent over to him to kiss his neck before resting his head on his shoulder. Jason instantly started stroking his hair softly.

“You seem a bit preoccupied love.”

“I do?”

“Yeah, you have your worried look on.”

“I guess I am a bit worried. I was just thinking about what Bart and Dami told us about this caretaker guy.”

“I see. I’ll admit it does worry me as well. But I realized something.”

“What is it?”

“Well, if the caretaker tried to get rid of us in the past, it probably means we’re doing a pretty good job at protecting or son right now. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful of course but I’m pretty optimistic with our chances of victory.”

“Did you just say you were optimistic? Is that a thing? You’re choosing to see the glass half full? Unbelievable.”

Jason rolled his eyes.

“I’m not that much of a pessimist you know?”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Fine, maybe I used to be like that. But I’m not anymore. I mean, sure the world is still shit most of the time, most people are garbage and I have an urge to shoot them, but I also have a better life than I could ever have asked for. I have a husband, two kids, a cat, a puppy, a very big extended family; I’m one dream house away from being Barbie at this point. “

“I am so buying you a pink roofless car and a blonde wig.”

“I despise you. No but seriously. Living this life, having you by my side, it makes me see the good side of things. It makes me want to hope for the future instead of living in fear. “

“Hm… that’s actually a good way of seeing things. Maybe I should try. “

“good idea.”

There was a small silence before Roy talked again.

“We’ve done the right thing right? Caleb, he’s happy with us?”

“Of course he is. Never doubt that for a second. And he also makes us happy. “

“That means the Caretaker won’t be able to turn him, right? If he’s happy with us, if he feels how much we love him… we can’t lose him, right?”

Jason thought about what to say for a second.

“You know, my family used to think I was lost to them. Yet they didn’t give up on me. I think that’s the secret. As long as we never give up, than we will never lose him. Besides… Caleb has a good heart. A pure , golden heart. He’s incapable of hurting anyone. I think the Caretaker will find the task of getting him o n his side much harder than what he had anticipated. I trust our son.

“I do too… And I trust us, to show him the right path.”

And he couldn’t help but think that maybe, that would be enough.

_Wally’s POV_

As the night fell on another great day, Wally entered his home with more take out junk food than he should have been able to carry. Of course, as soon as the door opened, Cupcake had ran to him and he was now trying not to trip over him and fall and most importantly not to let the food fall. hen he saw that Cupcake would not let him go that easily, he sighed before calling out for his husband’s help:

“Dickie please save me your dog is attacking me!”

Dick came out of their bedroom  with an amused look on his face.

“First of all, don’t slander my son’s name, you’re making it  seem like he’s dangerous and out for blood when he just wants hugs! I mean I can’t blame him,” he added while taking the food from Wally’s arms, giving Cupcake the perfect opportunity to jump on him, making him fall on his butt. Wally admitted defeat and started petting him right there on the floor.

“Well it seems he can always get whatever he wants from me, wonder where he learned that!” Wally retorted with fake annoyance that was pretty appearance with how big his smile was.

“What can I say, I’m  teaching him valuable skills in life. Now come on let’s go eat, the food is gonna get cold.”

And with that, Dick stroked Cupcake’s head which made him instantly forget everything about Wally to follow him excitedly. ‘Favoritism at its finest’, Wally thought as he got up to follow them.

They all got to the living room and sat down on the couch all cuddled up before putting on whatever today’s film that was gonna make Dick cry was and started eating happily, trying (and failing) not to give away some of it to a pleading Cupcake who had already eaten more than enough. But they couldn’t help it, they were weak for their pet.

It didn’t take long for Cupcake to fall asleep as the movie continued. But that day, the couple didn’t really feel like paying attention to the screen. Dick turned to Wally and said:

“Hey, do you think Mini me had a crush on Bartie?”

And okay, that was not how Wally ahd expected the conversation to start.

“I beg your pardon? “

“Well, you know, since he just basically lived his Back to the Future nightmare, and I always had a thing for older speedsters. “

“Why would you put that image in my brain? “

“Cause I like torturing you. “

“No kidding. Well I mean I couldn’t really blame you if you had. Our Bartie grew up to be a pretty fine man not gonna lie. “

“Couldn’t agree more. Hey, you know he told me you were jealous of him? He seemed to find it pretty funny. “

Wally smiled fondly at the thought.

“Yeah well, that doesn’t surprise me either. Of course little seventeen years old me would have been jealous of 22 years old Bart.“

“It was probably cute if I’m being honest. Then again I always find everything you do cute.”

“That you do. It’s a good thing I met Bart in that alternate timeline though. Maybe he talked some sense into me about not deserting the most important person in my life. “

Dick sighed.

“You need to stop feeling guilty about that you know? It was a long time ago. I’m over it, and so should you.”

“I could never be over hurting you . And I could never stop trying to atone for that.”

“There’s nothing to atone for. We were young, we made mistakes. I don’t think you realize how you’ve made my life the best one I could possibly asked for since. I told you before I’ll say it again: all the pain was worth it if it led me to where I am today.   You make me happy every single day. And I need you to focus on that instead of the past. “

“I guess I should… hey Dickie?”

“Yes my love?”

Wally got up, looked into his phone to find the perfect song and offered his hand to Dick with a smile .

“Shall we dance?”

Dick shook his head with a fond smile and took his hand.

“Of course, it would be my pleasure.”

And so, as they quickly swayed to the slow rhythm of “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran, there was no more thinking about the pains of the past, only the great moment they had spent and still would be spending together for years to come.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done.. I can't believe it...  
> A note concerning the future of this series tomorrow....  
> I love you all x


	24. Author's Note

Hello everyone!

So, this is finally officially over!

I can't tell you how happy I am that I didn't give up and manage to go to the end of this fic! it wasn't always easy I assure you, I wanted to quit more than once! but I'm happy with where I went with this! so much so that it gave me more ideas!

 

As you all probably know, this work is part of a series. however, I don't know if you noticed that I added another series called "Paradox", and this story is the part one of that new series.

You're probably wondering why I chose to make a sub-serie of sort. Well to answer your question, it's because I'm crazy.

no but seriously, thinking about how things could have gone in the alternate timeline created because of the Caretaker and with the help of Bart and Dami is really interesting . and I started making plotlines in my head and so I thought "hey! why not write it?"

And so I will. eventually lol. I will probably not start on this project before the middle of August, maybe even not until september. in the meantime, I will continue and finish "Red And Blue: the Roommates Chronicles", although I can't tell you how frequently I'll update cause I'm on vacation so...

Anyway, I'm really excited for what's to come, especially Paradow because Oh my god I have so many clear ideas of how things will work out. I'll admit that some of the ideas I have I'm a little bit scared you will not like lol but we'll see.

I hope everyone has a great summer and I'll see you all soon! xxxxxxxxxxx

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated, even when I forget to answer for weeks lol know that I always read them, and they warm.my heart a lot <3


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